
white
词源
源自古英语 'hwīt',与古高地德语 'hwiz'、古诺尔斯语 'hvitr' 同源,最终源自原始日耳曼语 *hwītaz。
noun
❶ 白色,指物体表面反射所有可见光而形成的颜色,常象征纯洁或空白。
“She was dressed all in white for the wedding.”
(她婚礼上穿了一身白色礼服。)
“The walls were painted a bright white.”
(墙壁被刷成了亮白色。)
❶ 白种人,指具有浅色皮肤的人种,常用于描述种族或民族背景。
“The neighborhood is predominantly white.”
(这个社区主要是白种人居住。)
“He is a white male in his forties.”
(他是一位四十多岁的白人男性。)
adjective
❶ 白色的,形容物体具有白色或接近白色的颜色。
“She wore a white dress to the party.”
(她穿了一件白色连衣裙去参加派对。)
“The white clouds floated across the blue sky.”
(白云飘过蓝天。)
❶ 白种的,形容人或群体具有浅色皮肤的特征。
“The white population in the city has been declining.”
(该城市的白人人口一直在下降。)
“She comes from a white family with European roots.”
(她来自一个有欧洲血统的白人家庭。)
常见短语
white lie — 善意的谎言,指为了避免伤害他人感情而说的小谎。
“I told a white lie when I said her haircut looked nice.”
(我说她的新发型好看,其实是个善意的谎言。)
white elephant — 白象,指昂贵但无用或难以处理的物品,常用来形容累赘的礼物或投资。
“The old mansion became a white elephant that no one wanted to maintain.”
(那座老宅成了没人愿意维护的累赘。)
white-collar — 白领的,形容从事办公室或专业工作的人,与体力劳动相对。
“He works in a white-collar job at a law firm.”
(他在一家律师事务所从事白领工作。)