miser的词源

英文词源

miser (n.): 1540s, "miserable person, wretch," from Latin miser (adj.) "unhappy, wretched, pitiable, in distress," of unknown origin. Original sense now obsolete; main modern meaning of "money-hoarding person" recorded 1560s, from presumed unhappiness of such people.

Besides general wretchedness, the Latin word connoted also "intense erotic love" (compare slang got it bad "deeply infatuated") and hence was a favorite word of Catullus. In Greek a miser was kyminopristes, literally "a cumin seed splitter." In Modern Greek, he might be called hekentabelones, literally "one who has sixty needles." The German word, filz, literally "felt," preserves the image of the felt slippers which the miser often wore in caricatures. Lettish mantrausis "miser" is literally "money-raker."

来自拉丁语miser,可怜的，可悲的，悲惨的，可能来自希腊语misos,厌恶，讨厌，词源同misanthrope.后引申词义吝啬鬼，守财奴，因认为这类人是可悲人物的代表。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：miser 词源，miser 含义。