comely: [13] Old English had an adjective cymlic ‘beautiful’ (no relation at all to come), but this seems to have died out around the year 1000, and it is likely that comely, which first appears in the early 13th century, represents a reduced version of becomely, an adjective long since defunct of which there are a few records towards the end of the 12th century. This meant ‘suitable, becoming’ (it was formed, of course, from the verb become), an early meaning of comely; its other semantic strand, ‘beautiful’, is probably a memory of Old English cymlic. => become
comely (adj.)
"beautiful, handsome," c. 1400, probably from Old English cymlic "lovely, splendid, finely made," from cyme "exquisite, glorious, delicate," from West Germanic *kumi- "delicate, feeble" (cognates: Old High German chumo "with difficulty," chumig "weak, delicate;" German kaum "hardly, scarcely"). Or perhaps the modern word is from Middle English bicumelic (c. 1200) "suitable, exquisite," literally "becomely" (compare becoming).
实用例句
1. His wife is a comely young woman.
他的妻子是一个美丽的少妇。
来自辞典例句
2. A nervous, comely - dressed little girl stepped out.
一个紧张不安 、 衣着漂亮的小姑娘站了出来.
来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
3. She bloomed herself, and was a comely, comfortable, reasonable woman.
她自己也发福起来, 是个容貌宜人, 通情达理的女人.
来自辞典例句
4. Such a fear also troubled the comely head of Mme. Chiang kai - shek.
这样一种恐惧也使蒋介石夫人的标致的脑袋不安过一阵子.
来自辞典例句
5. All were at least comely, and one of them very handsome and regular of feature.
