mediaeval
mediaeval — 形容詞
1. belonging to or coming from the period in European history roughly between AD 10
中世紀的
屬於或來自歐洲中世紀時期的
belonging to or coming from the period in European history roughly between AD 1000 and AD 1450, known as the Middle Ages.
Esme studied mediaeval art history at the University of Edinburgh.
Esme 在愛丁堡大學主修中世紀藝術史。
attributive: mediaeval + noun (academic subject)
The cathedral in York contains beautiful mediaeval stained-glass windows.
約克的大教堂保存著美麗的中世紀彩繪玻璃窗。
collocation: mediaeval cathedral / window / castle
Camille spent her holiday visiting mediaeval villages in the Loire valley.
Camille 假期都在參觀羅亞爾河谷的中世紀村莊。
Some of the oldest mediaeval manuscripts are kept in the British Library.
一些最古老的中世紀手稿被保存在大英圖書館。
The castle walls in Conwy date back to mediaeval times.
康威城牆可追溯至中世紀時期。
- modern
covers the contrasting period from roughly the 16th century onwards
文法句型
mediaeval + noun
be + mediaeval
用法筆記
Chiefly British spelling; American English and most modern publications use 'medieval'. The two forms mean the same thing and are interchangeable in writing.
常見錯誤
2. old-fashioned, harsh, or out of step with the modern world — used to criticise a
落伍的；守舊
比喻過時、嚴苛或不開明的觀念
old-fashioned, harsh, or out of step with the modern world — used to criticise an attitude, rule, or practice as if it belonged to a less enlightened age.
Liang said his grandfather's views on marriage were almost mediaeval.
Liang 說他祖父對婚姻的看法簡直像中世紀那樣守舊。
figurative: criticising outdated attitudes
The prison's punishment rules struck Minh as mediaeval and unfair.
監獄的處罰規定讓 Minh 覺得既落伍又不公。
predicative use after striking-verbs (strike / seem / sound)
Ryan called the firm's strict dress code mediaeval after the summer heatwave.
夏季熱浪來襲後，Ryan 罵公司嚴格的服裝規定根本是中世紀。
Hassan thought the company's no-laptop policy was utterly mediaeval.
Hassan 認為公司禁用筆電的政策簡直落伍到極點。
- archaic
more formal; emphasises being outdated rather than harsh
- barbaric
stronger — implies cruelty, not just old-fashioned thinking
- antiquated
neutral on cruelty; just stresses being no longer in use
- progressive
describes attitudes that move with or ahead of current thinking
- enlightened
more formal opposite — implies reason and tolerance
文法句型
mediaeval + noun (figurative)
be + mediaeval
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this figurative use is always evaluative and negative, and the speaker is not really claiming the rule comes from the Middle Ages. Sense 1 describes the historical period neutrally.
常見錯誤
mediaeval — 名詞
1. a person who lived during the Middle Ages — mostly found in historical, academic
中世紀的人
生活於中世紀時期的人，多見於學術用語
a person who lived during the Middle Ages — mostly found in historical, academic, or literary writing.
Sivan's thesis explored how the mediaevals understood the night sky.
Sivan 的論文探討中世紀的人如何理解夜空。
plural: the mediaevals as a group of historical people
To a mediaeval, a comet was often read as a warning from heaven.
對中世紀的人來說，彗星往往被視為上天的警告。
singular with indefinite article in academic prose
Shirin argued that the mediaevals were far more inventive than modern readers assume.
Shirin 主張中世紀的人遠比現代讀者所想的更具創造力。
Many mediaevals never travelled more than a day's walk from their village.
許多中世紀的人一生未曾離開村子超過一天的步行距離。
- medieval
the standard American spelling of the same noun
文法句型
a / the + mediaeval
the mediaevals (plural)
用法筆記
Almost always plural ('the mediaevals'); the singular is unusual outside academic writing. Most contexts prefer the phrase 'mediaeval people' or 'people in the Middle Ages'.