| 释义 |
▪ I. † ˈmeditate, a. Obs.
[ad. L. meditātus, pa. pple. of meditārī: see next.]
= meditated.
1581Lambarde Eiren. ii. vii. (1588) 250 The law deemeth that he doeth it..with a meditate hatred. 1854S. Dobell Balder iii. 18 My early planned, Long meditate..epic!
▪ II. meditate, v.|ˈmɛdɪteɪt|
[f. L. meditāt-, ppl. stem of meditārī, a frequentative f. the root mē̆d-, whence many words expressing the notion of thought or care, as Gr. µέδεσθαι to think about, care for, µήδεσθαι to care for, L. medērī to cure.
The Latin uses (which are reproduced approximately in Eng.) seem partly due to association with Gr. µελετᾶν (f. µελέτη care, study, exercise), from which the word was anciently believed to be derived.]
1. trans. To muse over or reflect upon; to consider, study, ponder. Now rare.
c1580Sidney Ps. v. i, O Lord,.. Consider what I meditate in me. 1695Addison King Misc. Wks. 1726 I. 9 Our British Youth..Had long forgot to Meditate the Foe. 1791Burke Let. Memb. Nat. Assembly 31 Him [Rousseau] they study; him they meditate. 1837–9Hallam Hist. Lit. I. i. iii. §111. 222 Alberti had deeply meditated the remains of Roman antiquity. a1871Grote Eth. Fragm. ii. (1876) 40 If they thoroughly meditated the circumstances of the case.
b. To fix one's attention upon; to observe with interest or intentness. Now rare.
1700Dryden Sigism. & Guisc. 244 Like a lion..With inward rage he meditates his prey. 1754Richardson Grandison IV. xvii. 108 He bowed his head upon his pillow, and meditated me. Ibid. (ed. 2) VI. xlv. 230 She seeing..that I meditated the seal with impatience, begged me to read it then. 1851G. W. Curtis Nile Notes xlv. 219 At the doors of their cliff-retreats, sit sagely the cormorants, and meditate the passing Howadji.
¶c. to meditate the Muse (nonce-use, after L. Musam meditari, Virg. Ecl. i. 2): to occupy oneself in song or poetry.
1637Milton Lycidas 66 What boots it..To tend the homely slighted Shepherds trade, And strictly meditate the thankles Muse?
2. To plan by revolving in the mind; to conceive, plan or design mentally.
1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, ii. iv. 60 Yorke. Now Somerset, where is your argument? Som. Here in my scabbard, meditating, that Shall dye your white Rose in a bloody red. 1651Hobbes Leviath. i. xv, It is also a law of nature, that all men that meditate peace, be allowed safe conduct. 1715Rowe Lady J. Grey i. i. 11 Ev'n now she seems to meditate her flight. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) VII. 167 A creature meditating mischief. 1820L. Hunt Indicator No. 54 (1822) II. 15 Kubla Khan, which was meditated under the effects of opium. 1879Froude Cæsar xi. 135 Catiline was meditating a revolution. 1885Manch. Exam. 6 Nov. 5/2 They are meditating a reimposition of the tax on corn.
†b. with inf. as obj.
1794Godwin Cal. Williams 283, I meditated to do you good. 1834A. F. Tytler Univ. Hist. (1850) I. iii. vii. 352 The Latins..meditated to shake off the Roman yoke.
†3. To entertain as an opinion, think. Obs.
1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. Ep. Ded., What is..more vnbeseeming..than alwaies to abide at home..and not to meditate and thinke that at one time or other it is meete..to flie abroade. 1609Bible (Douay) Pref., What shal we therefore meditate of the especial prerogative of English Catholiques at this time?
4. intr. To exercise the mental faculties in thought or contemplation; spec. in religious use (see meditation 2).
1594Shakes. Rich. III, iii. vii. 75 He is..meditating with two deepe Diuines. 1611Bible Gen. xxiv. 63 And Isaac went out, to meditate in the field, at the euentide. 1644Milton Areop. (Arb.) 56 When a man writes to the world,..he searches, meditats, is industrious. 1847Tennyson Princess i. 95 While I meditated A wind arose. 1897Cath. Dict. (ed. 5) 618/1 The understanding considering this truth in its application to the individual who meditates.
b. const. on, upon, over, † of; (Hebraism) † in.
1560Bible (Geneva) Ps. i. 2 In his Law doeth he meditate day and night. 1594T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. ii. 163 The better to haue them in memorie, it often thinketh and meditateth of those things. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. iii. iv. 219, I wil meditate the while vpon some horrid message for a Challenge. a1618W. Bradshaw Medit. Man's Mortal. (1621) 30 When God in any judgement..shewes his wrath, wee should thinke and meditate of this. 1630Prynne Anti-Armin. 195 He then that shall vnfainedly meditate on all these Texts. a1716South Serm. (1744) X. i. 19 He that accustoms himself to meditate upon the greatness of God, finds [etc.]. 1834James J. Marston Hall ix, Leaving me to meditate over the future. 1877Monier Williams Hinduism vi. 76 A Buddhist..only meditates on the perfections of the Buddha.
Hence ˈmeditating vbl. n. and ppl. a. Also ˈmeditatingly adv., meditatively.
1643Milton Divorce x. Wks. 1851 IV. 49 Those divine meditating words. 1645― Tetrach. Introd., Some of our severe Gnostics, whose little reading, and lesse meditating holds ever..that which it took up. 1753Richardson Grandison III. i. 2 He enquired..Why she looked so meditatingly? a1873Lytton Ken. Chillingly v. vii, Meditatingly propped on his elbow. |
