fair

英 [feə]美 [fɛr]
  • adj. 公平的；美丽的，白皙的；[气象] 晴朗的
  • adv. 公平地；直接地；清楚地
  • vi. 转晴
  • n. 展览会；市集；美人
  • n. (Fair)人名；(英、芬)费尔
CET4 TEM4 考研 CET6 中高频词 基本词汇

中文词源

fair 美丽的，漂亮的，公平的

缩写自古英语faeger, 美丽的，漂亮的，来自PIE*pek, 使美丽，漂亮。词义由美丽引申为公平，公正。比较very, 原义为真实的，even, 原义为平的。

fair 集市，庙会

来自拉丁语feriae, 宗教节目，宗教集会，词源同festival.

英文词源

fair
fair: English has two distinct words fair, one Germanic and the other Romance. The older, meaning ‘beautiful’ [OE], comes from a prehistoric Germanic *fagraz, which survives also in Swedish fager ‘beautiful’. It derived from a base *fag-, which seems originally to have meant ‘fitting, suitable’ (a variant of it was the ultimate source of fake and possibly also of the now archaic noun fig ‘clothes, array’, as in ‘in full fig’).

Of its main present-day meanings, ‘just, equitable’ developed in the 14th century and ‘not dark’ in the mid 16th century. Fair ‘festive event’ [13] comes from Old French feire. This was a descendant of late Latin fēria, a singular use of a noun which in classical times had been used in the plural, fēriae, for ‘holiday’. A close relative of fēriae was the adjective festus ‘joyous’, source of English feast, festival, festoon, and fête.
=> fake, feast, festival, festoon, fête, fig
fair (adj.)
Old English fæger "pleasing to the sight (of persons and body features, also of objects, places, etc.); beautiful, handsome, attractive," of weather, "bright, clear, pleasant; not rainy," also in late Old English "morally good," from Proto-Germanic *fagraz (cognates: Old Saxon fagar, Old Norse fagr, Swedish fager, Old High German fagar "beautiful," Gothic fagrs "fit"), perhaps from PIE *pek- (1) "to make pretty" (cognates: Lithuanian puošiu "I decorate").

The meaning in reference to weather preserves the oldest sense "suitable, agreeable" (opposed to foul (adj.)). Of the main modern senses of the word, that of "light of complexion or color of hair and eyes, not dusky or sallow" (of persons) is from c. 1200, faire, contrasted to browne and reflecting tastes in beauty. From early 13c. as "according with propriety; according with justice," hence "equitable, impartial, just, free from bias" (mid-14c.).

Of wind, "not excessive; favorable for a ship's passage," from late 14c. Of handwriting from 1690s. From c. 1300 as "promising good fortune, auspicious." Also from c. 1300 as "above average, considerable, sizable." From 1860 as "comparatively good."

The sporting senses (fair ball, fair catch, etc.) began to appear in 1856. Fair play is from 1590s but not originally in sports. Fair-haired in the figurative sense of "darling, favorite" is from 1909. First record of fair-weather friends is from 1736 (in a letter from Pope published that year, written in 1730). The fair sex "women" is from 1660s, from the "beautiful" sense (fair as a noun meaning "a woman" is from early 15c.). Fair game "legitimate target" is from 1776, from hunting.
Others, who have not gone to such a height of audacious wickedness, have yet considered common prostitutes as fair game, which they might pursue without restraint. ["Advice from a Father to a Son, Just Entered into the Army and about to Go Abroad into Action," London, 1776]
fair (n.)
"a stated market in a town or city; a regular meeting to buy, sell, or trade," early 14c., from Anglo-French feyre (late 13c.), from Old French feire, faire "fair, market; feast day," from Vulgar Latin *feria "holiday, market fair," from Latin feriae "religious festivals, holidays," related to festus "solemn, festive, joyous" (see feast (n.)).
fair (adv.)
Old English fægere "beautifully," from fæger "beautiful" (see fair (adj.)). From c. 1300 as "honorably;" mid-14c. as "correctly; direct;" from 1510s as "clearly." Fair and square is from c. 1600. Fair-to-middling is from 1829, of livestock markets.

双语例句

1. I have a fair idea of how difficult things can be.
我大致了解情况会有多困难。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The team also won praise for sportsmanship and fair play.
该队还因其良好的体育精神及公平竞争精神而受到了表扬。
来自柯林斯例句
3. Frank Deford is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine.
弗兰克·德福特是杂志《名利场》的特约编辑。
来自柯林斯例句
4. It's a fair guess to say that the damage will be extensive.
说损失会很严重想必猜得不错。
来自柯林斯例句
5. The signs suggest that the elections will be non-violent and fair.
种种迹象表明选举将会是非暴力的、公正的。
来自柯林斯例句