n.
- 雲[C][U]
The sky became suddenly covered with dark
clouds.
天空突然變得烏雲密布。
- (塵埃,煙等)雲狀物[C][(+of)]
- (移動中的昆蟲,鳥等的)一大群[C][(+of)]
A
cloud of locusts hit the farm.
大群蝗蟲襲擊了那個農場。
- 陰影;陰雲[C]
- (大理石等的)黑斑[C]
vt.
- (雲,煙等)覆蓋,遮蔽
Smog
clouded the whole city.
煙霧籠罩全城。
- 使陰暗;使模糊;使混濁[(+up)]
Her eyes were
clouded with tears.
淚水使她雙眼變得模糊起來。
- 使混亂
The decision will only
cloud the issue.
這一決定只能使這一問題變得複雜起來。
- 使憂鬱,攪擾
vi.
- 陰雲密布[(+over/up)]
- 變暗;變模糊;變混濁
My glasses kept
clouding up.
我的眼鏡一直模糊起來。
- (臉色等)陰沉下來
片語
Every cloud has a silver lining.
- 黑暗之中總有一絲光明。
under a cloud
- 受嫌疑
Though the police could not find enough evidence, the man remained
under a cloud for several weeks.
雖然警方找不到足夠的證據,那人還是被懷疑了幾個星期。
- 失寵
He used to work for the company but caused some trouble and left
under a cloud.
他曾經在那家公司工作,後來出了麻煩只好黯然離去。
wait till the clouds roll by
- 等待良機到來
Let's
wait till the clouds roll by.
我們應該等待時機。
cloud over
- 佈滿雲
The sky
clouded over.
天空雲層密佈。
- (臉色)陰沉
On hearing the news, her face
clouded over.
一聽到這消息,她的臉上頓生愁雲。
辨析
n.
- a visible mass of condensed watery vapour floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the general level of the ground.
▸an indistinct or billowing mass, especially of smoke or dust.
- a state or cause of gloom or anxiety.
- an opaque patch within a transparent substance.
v.
-
(usu. cloud over)
(of the sky) become full of clouds.
- make or become less clear or transparent.
- make unclear or uncertain.
▸spoil (something).
- (of the face or eyes) show sadness, anxiety, or anger.
Phrase
- in
(or with one's head in)
the clouds
out of touch with reality. - on cloud nine
(or seven)
extremely happy.
[with ref. to a ten-part classification of clouds in which ‘nine’ was next to the highest.]
- under a cloud
under suspicion or discredited.
Derivative
- cloudless adj.
- cloudlessly adv.
- cloudlet n.
History
The earliest use of cloud is recorded in Old English, in the sense ‘a mass of rock; a hill’; from this sense arose a number of place names, such as Thorp Cloud, a hill in Derbyshire. Later it was used in the same sense as clod to mean ‘a lump of earth or clay’; indeed it is likely that cloud, clod, and clot come ultimately from the same root. The current sense, ‘mass of watery vapour’, is first recorded in a reference in the medieval work the Cursor Mundi to the sun climbing the clouds.