reluctant: [17] To be reluctant about doing something is etymologically to ‘struggle against’ it. The word comes from the present participle of Latin reluctārī, a compound verb formed from the prefix re- ‘against’ and luctārī ‘struggle’. Among the first English writers to employ it was John Milton, who used it in the literal Latin sense, describing the writhing Satan: ‘a monstrous serpent on his belly prone, reluctant, but in vain’, Paradise Lost 1667. ‘Unwilling, averse’, a metaphorical extension which saw the light of day in Latin, made its debut in English at the start of the 18th century.
reluctant (adj.)
"unwilling," 1660s, from Latin reluctantem (nominative reluctans), present participle of reluctari (see reluctance). Related: Reluctantly. The Latin word is also the source of Spanish reluchante, Italian riluttante.
1. We were reluctant to start the long trudge home.
我们很不愿意踏上如此漫长艰辛的回家之路。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Scientific institutions have been reluctant to take corrective action.
科学机构一直不愿作出更正。
来自柯林斯例句
3. I am reluctant to trust anyone totally, Your Excellency.
我不想完全相信任何人,阁下。
来自柯林斯例句
4. He said no and seemed oddly reluctant to talk about it.
他说没有,而且奇怪的是似乎不愿谈及此事。
来自柯林斯例句
5. Japan has been reluctant to offer much aid to Russia.
reluctant: [17] To be reluctant about doing something is etymologically to ‘struggle against’ it. The word comes from the present participle of Latin reluctārī, a compound verb formed from the prefix re- ‘against’ and luctārī ‘struggle’. Among the first English writers to employ it was John Milton, who used it in the literal Latin sense, describing the writhing Satan: ‘a monstrous serpent on his belly prone, reluctant, but in vain’, Paradise Lost 1667. ‘Unwilling, averse’, a metaphorical extension which saw the light of day in Latin, made its debut in English at the start of the 18th century.
reluctant (adj.)
"unwilling," 1660s, from Latin reluctantem (nominative reluctans), present participle of reluctari (see reluctance). Related: Reluctantly. The Latin word is also the source of Spanish reluchante, Italian riluttante.
双语例句
1. We were reluctant to start the long trudge home.
我们很不愿意踏上如此漫长艰辛的回家之路。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Scientific institutions have been reluctant to take corrective action.
科学机构一直不愿作出更正。
来自柯林斯例句
3. I am reluctant to trust anyone totally, Your Excellency.
我不想完全相信任何人,阁下。
来自柯林斯例句
4. He said no and seemed oddly reluctant to talk about it.
他说没有,而且奇怪的是似乎不愿谈及此事。
来自柯林斯例句
5. Japan has been reluctant to offer much aid to Russia.