weal

IPA/wiːl/
IPA/wiːl/

weal — 名詞

  • wealsingular
  • wealsplural

1. a narrow, swollen strip on the skin that turns red or pale after a blow, hard pr

1.名詞C1
釋義

腫痕；紅痕

皮膚受外力或過敏而隆起的條狀痕跡

a narrow, swollen strip on the skin that turns red or pale after a blow, hard pressure, or an allergic reaction

例句

Femi had a red weal across his forearm from a ruler strike during class.

Femi 被尺子打到後，前臂上出現了一道紅腫的痕跡。

weal across [body part] + from [blow]

Pale weals appeared on Talia's back where the allergy doctor had pricked her skin.

Talia 背上出現了幾道淡色腫痕，是醫師測試過敏原時留下的。

weals appeared + where-clause for cause

同義詞
  • welt

    the everyday word for the same thing; 'weal' is slightly more formal or medical

  • ridge

    describes the raised shape but is not specific to skin

  • mark

    a broad term for any visible spot or line on the skin

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

❌The weal on her arm was deep purple and flat.
✅The weal on her arm was raised and red.
💡a weal is always raised above the skin, unlike a bruise which is flat and dark-coloured.
❌I got a weal from the paper cut.
✅I got a weal from the hard slap on my arm.
💡a weal comes from impact, pressure, or allergy; a cut produces a different kind of mark.

2. a state of health, happiness, and comfort for one person; in modern English foun

2.名詞C2
釋義

幸福；安康

古語中指個人的健康幸福與富足

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

例句

The old ballad tells of a sailor who found weal on a distant island shore.

那首古老民謠講述一名水手在遙遠島嶼上尋得幸福的故事。

weal as individual fortune (archaic literary use)

Defne read aloud the line 'in weal and woe' from the medieval English poem.

Defne 朗讀了中世紀英文詩句中「是福是禍」的那一行。

weal and woe — fixed phrase for good times and bad

同義詞
  • 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'

反義詞
  • 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

❌I wish you weal and happiness in your new home.
✅I wish you health and happiness in your new home.
💡'weal' meaning personal well-being is archaic and sounds unnatural in modern conversation.

3. the welfare or good of a whole community rather than of any single person; in mo

3.名詞C2
釋義

公益；福祉

社會整體的利益與安樂

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'

例句

The mayor said the common weal guided every decision the council made.

市長說公益是引導議會每項決策的原則。

the common weal — fixed phrase for the public good

Mira argued the new park served the common weal of the whole town.

Mira 認為新公園是為了全鎮的公益而建。

同義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

❌She dedicated her life to the common weal of the village.
✅She dedicated her life to the common good of the village.
💡'common weal' is archaic; 'common good' is the natural modern phrase.