freak

英 [fri?k] 美[fri?k]

TEM8IELTSGRE中低頻詞常用詞匯

復(fù)數(shù):?freaks;第三人稱單數(shù):?freaks;過去式:?freaked;過去分詞:?freaked;現(xiàn)在分詞:?freaking;

freak 怪人

詞源不詳。

freak (n.1): 1560s, "sudden and apparently causeless turn of mind," of unknown origin. Perhaps it is from a dialectal survival of a word related to Middle English friken "to move nimbly or briskly," from Old English frician "to dance" [OED, Barnhart]. There is a freking attested in mid-15c., apparently meaning "capricious behavior, whims." Or perhaps from Middle English frek "eager, zealous, bold, brave, fierce" (see freak (n.2)).

Sense of "capricious notion" (1560s) and "unusual thing, fancy" (1784) preceded that of "abnormally developed individual or production" (first in freak of nature, 1839, which was later popular in variety show advertisements for bearded ladies, albinos, etc.; compare Latin lusus natur?, which was used in English from 1660s). As "drug user," attested from 1945. The sense in health freak, ecology freak, etc. is attested from 1908 (originally Kodak freak, a camera buff). Freak show attested from 1887.
freak (v.): "change, distort," 1911, from freak (n.1). Earlier, "to streak or fleck randomly" (1630s). Related: Freaked; freaking.
freak (n.2): "brave man, warrior," Scottish freik, from Middle English freke "a bold man, a warrior, a man," from Old English freca "bold man, a warrior," from frec "greedy, eager, bold" (compare German frech "bold, impudent").

1. Weir broke his leg in a freak accident playing golf.: 韋爾因?yàn)橐淮未蚋郀柗驎r發(fā)生的離奇事故折斷了腿。

3. By some freak of fate, she won an enormous sum of money.: 她不知交了什么好運(yùn), 贏了一大筆錢.