late 14c. (late 12c. as a surname), "lean, thin, emaciated" (of persons or animals), from Old French megre, maigre "thin" (12c.), from Latin macrum (nominative macer) "lean, thin" (source of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian magro), from PIE *makro- (see macro-). Of material things (land, food, etc.) from early 15c. Cognate Germanic words (Old Norse magr "thin," Old High German magar, German mager, Middle Dutch magher, Dutch mager, Old English m?ger) come directly from the PIE root via Proto-Germanic *magras and are not from Latin.
雙語例句
1. His meager allotment of gas had to be saved for emergencies.
他分到的那一點點煤氣必須留著急用。
來自柯林斯例句
2. He could not support his family on his meager salary.
他靠微薄的工資無法養(yǎng)家.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
3. Their food supply is meager.
他們的食品供給少得可憐。
來自辭典例句
4. Fustian can't disguise the author's meager plot.
浮夸的文章掩飾不住這個作者的貧乏情節(jié)。
來自辭典例句
5. The state of knowledge about fracture surfaces is very meager.