desultory: [16] Latin dēsultor designated a circus trick-rider who jumped from the back of one horse to another while they were galloping along (it was a derivative of dēsilīre, a compound verb formed from dē- ‘down’ and salīre ‘jump’, source of or related to English assail, assault, insult, salacious, salient, and sally). From it was derived an adjective dēsultōrius ‘jumping from one thing to another like a dēsultor’, hence ‘superficial’, and eventually ‘unmethodical, irregular’, the sense which survives in English. => assail, assault, insult, salacious, salient
desultory (adj.)
1580s, "skipping about," from Latin desultorius "hasty, casual, superficial," adjective form of desultor (n.) "a rider in the circus who jumps from one horse to another while they are in gallop," from desul-, stem of desilire "jump down," from de- "down" (see de-) + salire "to jump, leap" (see salient (adj.)). Sense of "irregular, without aim or method" is c. 1740. Related: Desultorily; desultoriness.
雙語例句
1. I wandered about in a desultory fashion.
我漫無目的地四處游蕩。
來自《權威詞典》
2. Do not let the discussion fragment into a desultory conversation with no clear direction.
不要讓討論變得支離破碎,成為沒有明確方向的漫談.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
3. Carrie followed up this desultory conversation with occasional interruptions from the Vances.
嘉莉繼續這樣隨便地談著,萬斯夫婦偶爾也插上幾句.
來自英漢文學 - 嘉莉妹妹
4. The constables made a desultory attempt to keep them away from the barn.
警察漫不經心地攔著不讓他們靠近谷倉。
來自辭典例句
5. Judith now entered into a desultory discourse with Deerslayer.