
peck
词源
源自古英语'peccan',意为'啄击',与中古荷兰语'pekken'相关。作为量单位的用法始于14世纪。
verb
❶ 指鸟类用喙快速啄击的动作,常用于描述鸡、鸟等动物啄食或攻击的行为。
“The chicken pecked at the grains on the ground.”
(小鸡啄食地上的谷粒。)
“The woodpecker pecked a hole in the tree trunk.”
(啄木鸟在树干上啄出一个洞。)
❶ 形容人快速而轻地亲吻,通常指短暂、多次的亲吻动作。
“She pecked her husband on the cheek before leaving.”
(她离开前在丈夫脸颊上轻吻了一下。)
“The grandmother pecked the baby's forehead lovingly.”
(奶奶充满爱意地轻吻婴儿的额头。)
noun
❶ 指鸟类啄击的动作或声音,也用于表示轻吻的动作。
“I heard the peck of a woodpecker in the forest.”
(我听到森林里啄木鸟的啄木声。)
“The hen gave a sharp peck to the intruding cat.”
(母鸡狠狠地啄了入侵的猫一下。)
❶ 干量单位,等于8夸脱或1/4蒲式耳,主要用于英国计量谷物。
“The farmer sold a peck of apples at the market.”
(农民在市场上卖了一配克的苹果。)
“We need about a peck of potatoes for the soup.”
(我们需要大约一配克的土豆来做汤。)
常见短语
pecking order — 指群体中成员之间的等级制度,源自鸟类群体中啄食顺序的现象。
“In every office, there's an unspoken pecking order among employees.”
(每个办公室中,员工之间都存在不言而喻的等级制度。)
a peck of trouble — 表示一大堆麻烦或问题,使用配克这个量词来强调数量之多。
“The new policy has caused a peck of trouble for small businesses.”
(新政策给小企业带来了一大堆麻烦。)