energy: [16] Energy comes ultimately from Greek érgon ‘deed, work’. This was a descendant of Indo-European *wergon, which also produced English work, liturgy, organ, and orgy. Addition of the prefix en- ‘at’ produced the adjective energés or energōs ‘at work’, hence ‘active’, which Aristotle used in his Rhetoric as the basis of a noun enérgeia, signifying a metaphor which conjured up an image of something moving or being active. This later came to mean ‘forceful expression’, or more broadly still ‘activity, operation’. English acquired the word via late Latin energīa. => liturgy, organ, orgy, work
energy (n.)
1590s, "force of expression," from Middle French énergie (16c.), from Late Latin energia, from Greek energeia "activity, action, operation," from energos "active, working," from en "at" (see en- (2)) + ergon "work, that which is wrought; business; action" (see organ).
Used by Aristotle with a sense of "actuality, reality, existence" (opposed to "potential") but this was misunderstood in Late Latin and afterward as "force of expression," as the power which calls up realistic mental pictures. Broader meaning of "power" in English is first recorded 1660s. Scientific use is from 1807. Energy crisis first attested 1970.
雙語例句
1. At 54 years old her energy and looks are magnificent.
她54歲了，精力和氣色都非常好。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Revenues from "green taxes" could then be channelled back into energy efficiency.
從“綠色稅收”得來的收入便可回過頭來用于提高能效。
來自柯林斯例句
3. Brazil says its constitution forbids the private ownership of energy assets.
巴西稱其憲法禁止個人占有能源資產。
來自柯林斯例句
4. He told Americans that solving the energy problem was very important.
他告訴美國人解決能源問題非常重要。
來自柯林斯例句
5. We couldn't even summon up the energy to open the envelope.