scandal: [16] Greek skándalon originally meant literally ‘trap’ (it came from prehistoric Indo- European *skand- ‘jump’, which also produced Latin scandere ‘climb’, source of English ascend, descend, and scan). It was extended metaphorically to ‘snare for the unwary, stumbling block’, and passed into late Latin as scandalum, which was used for ‘cause of offence’. It came down to Old French as escandle, which was not only the source of a short-lived Middle English scandle, but also lies behind English slander. It was the later French form scandale that gave English scandal. => ascend, descend, scan, slander
scandal (n.)
1580s, "discredit caused by irreligious conduct," from Middle French scandale (12c.), from Late Latin scandalum "cause for offense, stumbling block, temptation," from Greek skandalon "a trap or snare laid for an enemy," in New Testament, metaphorically as "a stumbling block, offense;" originally "trap with a springing device," from PIE *skand- "to leap, climb" (see scan (v.); also see slander (n.), which is another form of the same word).
Attested from early 13c., but the modern word likely is a reborrowing. Meaning "malicious gossip," also "shameful action or event" is from 1590s; sense of "person whose conduct is a disgrace" is from 1630s. Scandal sheet "sensational newspaper" is from 1939. Scandal-monger is from 1702.
雙語例句
1. His government began to unravel because of a banking scandal.
他的政府由于一起金融丑聞而開始瓦解。
來自柯林斯例句
2. There were fears he would be dragged down by the scandal.
有人擔心他會因丑聞而辱沒了身份。
來自柯林斯例句
3. The cast of characters in the scandal is bewilderingly large.
卷入丑聞的人多得讓人眼花繚亂。
來自柯林斯例句
4. The industry minister described the affair as "an absolute scandal".
工業部長將此事件形容為“絕對的丑聞”。
來自柯林斯例句
5. What went on was a scandal. It was a disgrace to Britain.