again

英 [ə'gen; ə'geɪn] 美 [ə'ɡɛn]
  • adv. 又,此外;再一次;再说;增加
  • n. (英、保)阿盖恩

中文词源


again 再

来自古英语ongean. 词根gegn, 朝后,相对。见gainsay, 否认。against, 对着的,相对的。again词义发生变化,比较前缀re-, 向后,再。

英文词源


again
again: [OE] The underlying etymological sense of again is ‘in a direct line with, facing’, hence ‘opposite’ and ‘in the opposite direction, back’ (its original meaning in Old English). It comes from a probable Germanic *gagin ‘straight’, which was the source of many compounds formed with on or in in various Germanic languages, such as Old Saxon angegin and Old Norse íg gegn.

The Old English form was ongēan, which would have produced ayen in modern English; however, Norse-influenced forms with a hard g had spread over the whole country from northern areas by the 16th century. The meaning ‘once more, anew’ did not develop until the late 14th century. From Old English times until the late 16th century a prefix-less form gain was used in forming compounds.

It carried a range of meanings, from ‘against’ to ‘in return’, but today survives only in gainsay. The notion of ‘opposition’ is carried through in against, which was formed in the 12th century from again and what was originally the genitive suffix -es, as in always and nowadays. The parasitic -t first appeared in the 14th century.

again (adv.)
late Old English agan, from earlier ongean "toward, opposite, against, in exchange for," from on "on" (see on) + -gegn "against, toward," compounded for a sense of "lined up facing, opposite," and "in the opposite direction, returning." For -gegn, compare Old Norse gegn "straight, direct;" Danish igen "against;" Old Frisian jen, Old High German gegin, German gegen "against, toward," entgegen "against, in opposition to."

In Old English, eft was the main word for "again" (see eftsoons), but this often was strengthened by ongean, which became the principal word by 13c. Norse influence is responsible for the hard -g-. Differentiated from against 16c. in southern writers, again becoming an adverb only, and against taking over as preposition and conjunction, but again clung to all senses in northern and Scottish dialect (where against was not adopted).

双语例句


1. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.
努力过,失败过,没关系,屡战屡败,屡败屡战,每一次失败都比上一次更好。

来自金山词霸 每日一句

2. The central heating's been turned off. I've turned it on again.
中央供暖系统已经关上。我又将它打开了。

来自柯林斯例句

3. "Ah, Captain Fox," Martin McGuinness said affably. "Nice to see you again."
“啊,福克斯上尉,”马丁·麦吉尼斯亲切地说,“很高兴再次见到您。”

来自柯林斯例句

4. Northbridge is a cool, calculating and clever criminal who could strike again.
诺思布里奇是个头脑冷静、诡计多端、阴险狡诈的罪犯,他可能还会犯案。

来自柯林斯例句

5. I tried again to get ahold of my cousin Joan.
我再次尝试联系我的表妹琼。

来自柯林斯例句

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