tree

• n. 树；木料；树状物
• vt. 把...赶上树
• vi. 爬上树；逃上树
• n. (Tree)人名；(英)特里

词态变化

中文词源

来自古英语 treow,树，来自 Proto-Germanic*treuwaz,树，来自 PIE*deru,橡树，树，其原义为 固定的，坚固的，词源同 endure,true.

英文词源

tree

tree: [OE] Tree is part of an ancient and widespread family of ‘tree’-words that goes back ultimately to Indo-European *deru, *doru-. This appears originally to have designated specifically the ‘oak’, rather than ‘tree’ in general, an application retained by some of its descendants: Greek drūs, for instance (source of English dryad [14]), and Welsh derwen (a possible relative of English druid). From it came Germanic *trewam, which has evolved into Swedish träd, Danish træ, and English tree. Other English words from the same source include tray [OE] (etymologically a ‘wooden’ vessel), trough, and possibly tar.
=> druid, dryad, tar, tray, trough

tree (n.)

Old English treo, treow "tree" (also "timber, wood, beam, log, stake"), from Proto-Germanic *treuwaz- (cognates: Old Frisian tre, Old Saxon trio, Old Norse tre, Gothic triu "tree"), from PIE *drew-o-, from *deru- "oak" (cognates: Sanskrit dru "tree, wood," daru "wood, log;" Greek drys "oak," drymos "copse, thicket," doru "beam, shaft of a spear;" Old Church Slavonic drievo "tree, wood;" Serbian drvo "tree," drva "wood;" Russian drevo "tree, wood;" Czech drva; Polish drwa "wood;" Lithuanian derva "pine, wood;" Old Irish daur, Welsh derwen "oak," Albanian drusk "oak"). This is from PIE *drew-o-, a suffixed form of the root *deru- "to be firm, solid, steadfast" (see true), with specialized sense "wood, tree" and derivatives referring to objects made of wood.

The line which divides trees from shrubs is largely arbitrary, and dependent upon habit rather than size, the tree having a single trunk usually unbranched for some distance above the ground, while a shrub has usually several stems from the same root and each without a proper trunk. [Century Dictionary]

The widespread use of words originally meaning "oak" in the sense "tree" probably reflects the importance of the oak to ancient Indo-Europeans. In Old English and Middle English also "thing made of wood," especially the cross of the Crucifixion and a gallows (such as Tyburn tree, famous gallows outside London). Middle English also had plural treen, adjective treen (Old English treowen "of a tree, wooden"). For Dutch boom, German Baum, the usual words for "tree," see beam (n.). Meaning "framework of a saddle" is from 1530s. Meaning "representation of familial relationships in the form of a tree" is from c. 1300. Tree-hugger, contemptuous for "environmentalist" is attested by 1989.

Minc'd Pyes do not grow upon every tree,
But search the Ovens for them, and there they be.
["Poor Robin," Almanack, 1669]

tree (v.)

"to chase up a tree," 1700, from tree (n.). Meaning "take a tree-like form" is from 1884. Related: Treed; treeing.

双语例句

1. He sees himself going right to the top of the tree.

他预见自己在同行中将无人可及。

来自柯林斯例句

2. He was a huge man, built like an oak tree.

他是个大块头，结实得像棵橡树。

来自柯林斯例句

3. To avoid damaging the tree, hammer a wooden peg into the hole.

为了不毁坏树，用锤子将一个木栓钉进洞里。

来自柯林斯例句

4. The following summer the peach tree was laden with fruit.

第二年夏天桃树就结满了桃子。

来自柯林斯例句

5. The driver failed to negotiate a bend and ran into a tree.

司机没能顺利拐弯，撞到了树上。

来自柯林斯例句