weal
weal — noun
- wealsingular
- wealsplural
1. a narrow, swollen strip on the skin that turns red or pale after a blow, hard pr
a narrow, swollen strip on the skin that turns red or pale after a blow, hard pressure, or an allergic reaction
Femi had a red weal across his forearm from a ruler strike during class.
weal across [body part] + from [blow]
Pale weals appeared on Talia's back where the allergy doctor had pricked her skin.
weals appeared + where-clause for cause
The seatbelt left a red weal across Ryo's neck after the sudden stop.
A weal rose on Christopher's palm after he pulled the rough rope too fast.
Ignacio showed the referee a red weal on his side where a stick had hit him.
用法筆記
More formal than the common word 'welt', but refers to the same thing. The subject is usually a body part, and the cause (blow, pressure, allergy) is typically given with 'from' or a 'where' clause.
常見錯誤
2. a state of health, happiness, and comfort for one person; in modern English foun
a state of health, happiness, and comfort for one person; in modern English found almost only within the old fixed phrase 'weal and woe', meaning the good and bad things that happen in a person's life
The old ballad tells of a sailor who found weal on a distant island shore.
weal as individual fortune (archaic literary use)
Defne read aloud the line 'in weal and woe' from the medieval English poem.
weal and woe — fixed phrase for good times and bad
The hermit believed that true weal came from a quiet and simple life.
Grandmother wrote in her diary of the weal she felt as a young bride.
In the old story, one man's weal often came with another man's sorrow.
- well-being
the standard modern word for the same idea
- prosperity
focuses more on material success than overall happiness
- fortune
closer to the 'luck or fate' meaning in 'weal and woe'
- woe
the direct opposite, paired with 'weal' in the phrase 'weal and woe'
用法筆記
Now found almost only in the fixed phrase 'weal and woe'. Never used in everyday modern speech to mean personal well-being; use 'well-being' or 'happiness' instead. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is about an individual's fortune, not a community's.
常見錯誤
3. the welfare or good of a whole community rather than of any single person; in mo
the welfare or good of a whole community rather than of any single person; in modern English, used almost only in the old phrase 'the common weal'
The mayor said the common weal guided every decision the council made.
the common weal — fixed phrase for the public good
Mira argued the new park served the common weal of the whole town.
The old charter declared that taxes were for the common weal, not the king.
Sirin believed that free schools were the surest path to the nation's weal.
Historians say that concern for the common weal drove many medieval reforms.
- common good
the modern phrase used in everyday English for the same idea
- public welfare
formal modern term, often used in political or legal writing
- commonwealth
a related word from the same root; now usually means a political entity
用法筆記
Now found almost only in the phrase 'the common weal'. The modern equivalent is 'the common good' or 'the public good'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense refers to the welfare of a group or society, not of a single person.