symptom: [16] A symptom is etymologically something that ‘happens’ – an occurrence or phenomenon. The word’s application to physiological phenomena as signs of disease is a secondary development. It comes via late Latin symptōma from Greek súmptōma ‘occurrence’, a derivative of sumpíptein ‘fall together’, hence ‘fall on, happen to’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and píptein ‘fall’.
symptom (n.)
1540s, re-Latinized from sinthoma (late 14c.), from Medieval Latin sinthoma "symptom of a disease," altered from Late Latin symptoma, from Greek symptoma "a happening, accident, disease," from stem of sympiptein "to befall, happen; coincide, fall together," from assimilated form of syn- "together" (see syn-) + piptein "to fall," from PIE *pi-pt-, reduplicated form of root *pet- "to rush; to fly" (see petition (n.)).
Spelling restored in early Modern English in part by influence of Middle French symptome (16c.). General (non-medical) use is from 1610s.
双语例句
1. One prominent symptom of the disease is progressive loss of memory.
这种疾病的一个显著症状就是记忆逐渐丧失。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Victoria was strangely undisturbed by this symptom, even though her husband and family were frightened.
尽管丈夫和家人都吓坏了，维多利亚却对这一症状出奇地淡定。
来自柯林斯例句
3. It is probable that the medication will suppress the symptom without treating the condition.
这种药物有可能治标不治本。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Was the noise a cause of the illness, or were the complaints about noise merely a symptom?
噪音是病因呢, 还是对噪音的抱怨仅仅是一种症状 呢 ?
来自《用法词典》
5. Your problem with keeping boyfriends is just a symptom of a larger problem: making and keeping friends.
