Exhibit展品
terrific
/təˈrɪfɪk/
How did terror become a compliment?恐惧怎样变成了一句夸奖？
Today此刻
Excellent, or, in older use, causing terror.极好；在较旧的用法里，引起恐惧。
Historical历史形态
Take it apart拆开来看
Latin terrificus, from terrēre, to frighten, plus a suffix of making. English borrowed the terror, then applauded with it.拉丁语 terrificus，来自 terrēre（吓唬），加上表示“造成”的后缀。英语借入恐惧，然后用它来鼓掌。
Travel through time穿过时间
Latin拉丁语
terrēre
to frighten吓唬
Latin拉丁语
terrificus
causing terror引起恐惧
English英语
terrific
terrifying, later excellent可怕，后来是极好
How the meaning moved意义如何移动
01 · Latin and earlier English01 · 拉丁语与较早的英语
causing terror引起恐惧
02 · later English02 · 较晚的英语
extreme in degree程度上的极端
03 · colloquial English03 · 口语英语
excellent极好
Story故事
Terror, then applause恐惧，然后是掌声
Latin terrēre is to frighten. Terrificus causes terror. English terrific begins on that side of the word: terrifying, formidable, enough to make a person afraid. The fear then loosens. By the nineteenth century the word can mean extreme in degree, and in colloquial speech the extreme tips over into praise. Terrific becomes excellent.
Awful thinned dread into “very bad.” Terrific thinned dread into “very good.” The same emptying, two exits. Incredible, in another room, will do something like it with belief: from “not to be believed” to “amazing.”
The Latin build is not in doubt. What the museum refuses to fake is a single year when the compliment was voted in. Colloquial English drifted, and the dictionaries caught the drift.
拉丁语 terrēre 是吓唬。Terrificus 引起恐惧。英语 terrific 从词的这一侧开始：可怕，令人生畏，足以让人害怕。恐惧随后松开。到十九世纪，这个词可以表示程度上的极端，在口语里极端又翻成夸奖。terrific 变成极好。
awful 把恐惧变薄成“很糟”。terrific 把恐惧变薄成“很好”。同一种倒空，两个出口。另一间屋子里的 incredible 会对信念做类似的事：从“不可信”到“了不起”。
拉丁语的构造没有疑问。本馆不肯编造的是夸奖被投票通过的单独一年。口语英语漂过去了，词典追上了这次漂移。
Keep wandering继续漫游
Research notes研究笔记
Confidence · High把握 · 高
The outline is the ordinary account in historical dictionaries.轮廓与历史词典里的通行说法一致。
Sources出处
An outline for the visitor, not a critical edition.给访客的纲要，不是校勘本。