英语词源

incubus:梦魇,在睡梦中与人交合的梦淫妖

在中世纪的西方民间传说中,梦淫妖会在人的睡梦中与人交合,乘机吸收其精气。以男性形象出现的男妖称为 incubus ,以女性形象出现的女妖称为 succubus 。女子梦魇时往往会以为是被梦淫妖压身,所以 incubus 演变成“梦魇”和“重担”之意,而 succubus 逐渐用来表示“淫妇、娼妓”。

incubus 来自拉丁文 incubare ,由 in ( upon ,在其上)+ cubare (横卧)构成,字面意思是“横卧于其上”;而 succubus 来自拉丁文 succubare ,由 sub ( under ,在其下)+ cubare (横卧)构成,字面意思是“横卧于其下”。英语词根 cub 就来源于拉丁文 cubare (横卧)。

  • incubus: [‘ɪŋkjʊbəs] n. 梦魇,沉重的负担
  • succubus: [‘sʌkjʊbəs] n. 女妖,妓女,女梦淫妖
  • incubate: [‘ɪŋkjʊbeɪt] v. 孵化,培养 n. 孵育物。记:in在上面+cub横卧+ate动词后缀→卧在上面孵化
  • incubation:[ɪŋkjʊ’beɪʃ(ə)n] n. 孵化,潜伏,潜伏期
  • incubator: [‘ɪŋkjʊbeɪtə] n. 孵化器,保温箱,细菌培养器
  • cubicle: [‘kjuːbɪk(ə)l] n. 小卧室,小房间。记:cub横卧+i+cle小东西→可供横卧的小房间

深度学习

incubus (IN kyoo bus) In medieval folklore, this malevolent demon could sexually attack women in their sleep. Now time has transformed that frightening image into any oppressive burden that torments an individual as a nightmare might. And indeed the word derives from the Latin word for “nightmare.”

  • After the Civil War there was much rejoicing that America had at last freed itself from the incubus of slavery.
  • My twenty-page term paper on endangered species oppressed me all semester. I’m glad to be free of that incubus.

——摘自《Fiske WordPower: The Most Effective System for Building a Vocabulary That Gets Results Fast》

[toggle title=机器翻译,仅供参考]
incubus(在京都市巴士内)在中世纪的民间传说中,这种恶毒的恶魔可以在睡梦中对女性进行性攻击。现在,时间已经把这种可怕的形象变成了任何压迫性的负担,折磨着一个人,就像噩梦一样。事实上,这个词来源于拉丁语中“噩梦”的意思
南北战争后,人们为美国终于摆脱了奴隶制的束缚而欢欣鼓舞。
我那篇20页的关于濒危物种的学期论文整个学期都压得我喘不过气来。我很高兴能摆脱那麻烦。
[/toggle]

你的评论可以尖锐,也可以湿疣!