effrontery: [18] The notion of ‘audacity’ or ‘impudence’ is often expressed in terms of ‘exposing or pushing forward the face’: a ‘barefaced lie’ or ‘putting on a bold front’, for instance. And effrontery is no exception. It comes ultimately from late Latin effrōns ‘barefaced, shameless’, a compound adjective formed from the prefix ex- ‘out of’ and frōns ‘forehead’ (source of English front).
This seems subsequently to have been reformulated along the lines of its original components, giving Vulgar Latin *exfrontātus, source of Old French esfronte. This in turn developed to French effronté, whose derived noun effronterie was acquired by English as effrontery. => front
effrontery (n.)
"shamelessness, impudence, boldness in transgressing the bounds of modesty and propriety," 1715, from French effronterie, from effronté "shameless," from Old French esfronte "shameless, brazen," probably from Late Latin effrontem (nominative effrons) "barefaced, shameless," from Latin ex- "out" (see ex-) + frontem (nominative frons) "brow" (see front (n.)). Also compare affront.
Latin frontus had a sense of "ability to blush," but the literal sense of effrontery often has been taken to be "putting forth the forehead." Forehead in Johnson's Dictionary (1755) has a secondary sense of "impudence; confidence; assurance; audaciousness; audacity." English had an earlier verb effront "treat with effrontery" (17c.).
雙語例句
1. He had the effrontery to say I was lying.
他竟敢說我撒謊.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
2. This is a despicable fraud . Just imagine that he has the effrontery to say it.
這是一個可恥的騙局. 他竟然有臉說這樣的話.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
3. One could only gasp at the sheer effrontery of the man.
那人十足的厚顏無恥讓人們吃驚得無話可說。
來自辭典例句
4. He was so amazed at their effrontery that he stutters in confusion.
他對他們的粗暴無禮感到非常吃驚,竟然結結巴巴,不知所措.
來自辭典例句
5. In the Imperial Japanese Fleet it was suicidal effrontery.