• vi. 恶化，变坏
• vt. 恶化

de-, 向下。-ter, 比较级后缀，见interior. 即使更下，恶化。

deteriorate

deteriorate: [16] The meaning of deteriorate resides etymologically in its first syllable, which represents the Latin preposition dē ‘down’. To this was added the adjectival suffix -ter, to produce *dēter ‘bad’, and this in turn was modified with the comparative suffix -ior to dēterior ‘worse’. Dēterior formed the basis of the verb dēteriorāre ‘get worse’, source of English deteriorate.

deteriorate (v.)

1640s (as a past participle adjective, 1570s), from Late Latin deterioratus, past participle of deteriorare "get worse, make worse," from Latin deterior "worse, lower, inferior, meaner," contrastive of *deter "bad, lower," from PIE *de-tero-, from demonstrative stem *de- (see de). Originally transitive in English; intransitive sense is from 1758. Related: Deteriorated; deteriorating.

1. The position of the have-nots in our society could deteriorate even further.

穷人的社会地位可能会进一步恶化。

来自柯林斯例句

2. Food is apt to deteriorate in summer.

食物在夏天爱变质.

来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3. Police, weary and increasingly sour in mood, wonder aloud why the situation has been allowed to deteriorate.

警察们疲惫不堪，心情也越来越糟糕，他们不禁满腹狐疑地问：为什么听凭情况不断地恶化下去？

来自柯林斯例句

4. There are fears that the situation might deteriorate into full-scale war.

人们担心形势可能恶化而演变成一场全面战争。

来自辞典例句

5. This food will deteriorate rapidly on contact with air.

这种食物一接触到空气即迅速变坏.

来自辞典例句