【英语学习】【WOTD】darling 释义/词源/示例
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darling n. [DAHR-ling]
n. 亲爱的；可爱的人；可爱的物
adj. 可爱的；亲爱的
Definition
1: a dearly loved person
1：一个亲密的爱人
2: favorite
2：可爱的物
Did You Know?
The origins of darling can be found in the very heart of the English language, and examples of its use are found in Old English writings from the 9th century. The Old English dēorling was formed by attaching the Old English suffix -ling (“one associated with or marked by a specified quality") with the adjective dēore, the ancestor of our adjective dear (“regarded very affectionately or fondly,” “highly valued or esteemed,” “beloved”). English speakers appear to have developed a fondness for darling and have held on to it for well over a thousand years now. And though its spelling has changed over time — including variations such as dyrling, derlinge, and dearling — darling has maintained its original sense of “one dearly loved.”
词源词根演化：dēore (adj. dear) + -ling (“one associated with”) —> dēorling (adj.) —> darling
darling的起源可以从英语语言的核心中找到，关于这个词的使用示例可以追溯到9世纪的古英语文献中。在古英语中，dēorling 是由形容词 dēore 后添加后缀*-ling* （“与之相关的人”或者“以某种特征为标志的人”）构成。dēore 也是英语形容词 dear （“非常深情地或者喜爱地看待”，“非常有价值的或者受尊敬的”，“深爱的”）的祖先。英语世界似乎比较钟爱 darling，用这个词远超过1000年了；尽管它的拼写随着时间有所变化 — 变种包括 dyrling, derlinge和dearling — darling始终保持着最初的含义，“深爱的人”。
注：affectionately：热情地，体贴地；fondly：喜爱地，深情地，轻信地；esteemed：被尊敬的
Examples
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“The youngest of three children, he was always his parents’ little darling.”
三个孩子中最小的一个，他一直都是父母的小可爱。 -
“Once reticent to share anything about herself with fans and the media, thinking it was cooler to be mysterious, the critical darling and dance world entrepreneur is now open and forthright… .”
— Katie Bain, Billboard.com, 28 Mar. 2019曾经对包括自己在内的任何事都对媒体与粉丝讳莫如深，认为保持神秘比较酷，不过现在这位挑剔的 备受欢迎者同时是舞蹈界的精英相当的开放与坦白了。
注：reticent ['retɪsnt]：少言寡语的，沉默的；forthright：直截了当的，直率的，坦白的；entrepreneur：企业家，承包商，主办者