seth

IPA/seɪt/
KK[sˈɛθ]IPA/seɪt/

seth — 名詞

1. a formal term for a merchant who trades in bulk shipments of goods, or a senior

1.名詞C2
釋義

富商；銀行家

批發商或銀行界高層的舊稱

a formal term for a merchant who trades in bulk shipments of goods, or a senior figure in a banking house — used especially in historical South Asian contexts.

例句

The Seth family ran the largest spice-trading business in Surat during the nineteenth century.

Seth 家族在 19 世紀的蘇拉特經營規模最大的香料貿易生意。

capitalized as family name derived from title

Karim's great-grandfather was a seth who lent money to small traders in Mumbai.

Karim 的曾祖父是一位借錢給孟買小商人的 seth。

常見搭配
  • respected seth
  • wealthy seth
  • local seth
  • Seth family
同義詞
  • merchant

    more general; does not carry the South Asian cultural connotation or the formal register of seth

  • banker

    overlaps only the banking side of seth; lacks the wholesale-trade meaning

  • trader

    broader term for any person who buys and sells goods; less formal and less specific

文法句型

a seth

the Seth family

用法筆記

Historically tied to Gujarati and Rajasthani merchant communities in western India. May be capitalized (Seth) when used as a surname derived from the title.

常見錯誤

Seth was the son of Adam and Eve in the Bible.
The seth was a wealthy cloth merchant in Surat.
The Biblical figure Seth is a different word (proper noun, capitalised, unrelated meaning).

2. a man who possesses a great deal of money and property, especially one whose wea

2.名詞C2
釋義

富豪

富有錢財和地位的男人

a man who possesses a great deal of money and property, especially one whose wealth has been established across generations — an older, formal term that implies both riches and social standing.

例句

Every year the town's wealthiest seth donated gold to the temple during the harvest festival.

每年豐收祭典時，鎮上最有錢的 seth 都會向寺廟捐贈黃金。

collocation: wealthiest seth

The old seth rode to his grandson's wedding in a fine carriage with white horses.

老 seth 乘坐一輛潔白馬車，前去參加孫子的婚禮。

常見搭配
  • wealthiest seth
  • old seth
  • reclusive seth
同義詞
  • magnate

    more modern and corporate; a magnate controls a large business empire rather than simply being wealthy

  • millionaire

    purely about net worth; lacks the social-status and inheritance connotations of seth

  • nobleman

    wealth via aristocratic title rather than trade; different social system

反義詞
  • pauper

    a person with no money at all — the opposite end of the wealth scale

文法句型

a seth

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 focuses purely on wealth and social status, not on the person's specific occupation. Common in historical fiction set in colonial India.

常見錯誤

The seth worked as a clerk in the office.
The seth owned half the businesses in the district.
A seth implies wealth and status; using it for an ordinary employee contradicts the meaning.

3. a word placed after a person's name in formal or official contexts to indicate t

3.名詞C2
釋義

尊稱

用於姓名後的尊貴頭銜

a word placed after a person's name in formal or official contexts to indicate that the person belongs to a respected merchant family or holds a position of high social rank.

例句

The wedding invitation was addressed to 'Mohanlal Shah, Seth' as a mark of respect.

婚禮請帖上寫著「Mohanlal Shah，Seth」，以示敬意。

pattern: [name], Seth

In colonial records, the title 'Seth' appears after the names of prominent local businessmen.

在殖民時期的紀錄中，Seth 這個頭銜常出現在當地知名商人的名字之後。

常見搭配
  • title of Seth
  • addressed as Seth
  • [name], Seth
同義詞
  • esquire

    British honorific placed after a surname; similar position in name but different cultural origin

文法句型

[name], Seth

title of Seth

用法筆記

Unlike senses 1 and 2, this sense functions as an honorific suffix, always capitalised and placed after the full name. Comparable to 'Esq.' in British English but tied to South Asian merchant traditions.

同根字

  • Sheth
    專有名詞C2