conceive: [13] Conceive is one of a number of English words (deceive, perceive, and receive are others) whose immediate source is the Old French morpheme -ceiv-. This goes back ultimately to Latin capere ‘take’ (source of English capture), which when prefixed became -cipere. In the case of conceive, the compound verb was concipere, where the prefix com- had an intensive force; it meant generally ‘take to oneself’, and hence either ‘take into the mind, absorb mentally’ or ‘become pregnant’ – meanings transmitted via Old French conceivre to English conceive.
The noun conceit [14] is an English formation, based on the models of deceit and receipt. Conception [13], however, goes back to the Latin derivative conceptiō. => capture, conceit, conception, deceive, perceive, receive
conceive (v.)
late 13c., conceiven, "take (seed) into the womb, become pregnant," from stem of Old French conceveir (Modern French concevoir), from Latin concipere (past participle conceptus) "to take in and hold; become pregnant," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + comb. form of capere "to take," from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (see capable). Meaning "take into the mind" is from mid-14c., a figurative sense also found in the Old French and Latin words. Related: Conceived; conceiving.
实用例句
1. Women, he says, should give up alcohol before they plan to conceive.
他说女性在计划怀孕之前应该戒酒。
来自柯林斯例句
2. You may conceive a new world in the atomic age.
你可以设想出原子时代的新世界.
来自《简明英汉词典》
3. I can hardly conceive of your doing such a thing.
我很难想象你会做出这种事情.
来自《简明英汉词典》
4. I could not conceive that he would do such a silly thing.
我不能想像他竟会干这种傻事.
来自《简明英汉词典》
5. It's difficult to conceive of traveling to the moon.
