英语词汇sleeper的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

词汇	sleeper
词源	sleeper n. Middle English slepere, from Old English slæpere "one who sleeps, one who is inclined to sleep soundly or much," agent noun from sleep (v.). The meaning "dormant or inoperative thing" is from 1620s. The meaning "railway car fitted with berths in which beds can be made" is by 1875 (probably short for sleeper car, which is attested by 1839). The sense of "something whose importance proves to be greater than expected" is attested by 1892, originally in American English sports jargon, probably from earlier (1856) gambling slang sense of "unexpected winning card." The meaning "spy, enemy agent, terrorist etc. who remains undercover for a long time before attempting his purpose" is attested by 1955 in reference to communist agents in the West. The meaning "strong horizontal beam" is from c. 1600, but some suggest this might be a different word. Entries linking to sleeper sleep v. Middle English slepen, from Old English slæpan "to be or fall asleep; lie or remain dormant or inactive" (class VII strong verb; past tense slep, past participle slæpen), from Proto-Germanic slēpanan (source also of Old Saxon slapan, Old Frisian slepa, Middle Dutch slapen, Dutch slapen, Old High German slafen, German schlafen, Gothic slepan "to sleep"), from PIE sleb- "to be weak, sleep," which perhaps is connected to root sleg- "be slack, be languid," the source of slack (adj.). Sleep with* "do the sex act with" is in Old English: Gif hwa fæmnan beswice unbeweddode, and hire mid slæpe ... [Laws of King Alfred, c. 900] Related: Slept; sleeping. There is no cognate form of the verb in Scandinavian. The usual PIE root is swep-. The meaning "to rest as in the grave" is from Old English. In reference to parts of the body, "be numb through stoppage of circulation," late Old English. The sense of "provide or afford sleeping accommodations for" is by 1848, American English. To sleep in* "remain in bed in the morning" is by 1827; to sleep out "spend the night in the open" is by 1852. To sleep (something) off "remove the effects of by sleeping" is from 1760 (sleep out in the same sense is from 1550s). To sleep on some matter "postpone decision until the following day" is from 1510s, perhaps suggesting guidance in a dream. To sleep around "have casual sex with multiple partners" is attested by 1928. updated on December 22, 2022
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sleeper n.

Entries linking to sleeper