diligent: [14] The underlying meaning of diligent is ‘loving’. It comes via Old French diligent from the present participial stem of Latin dīligere ‘esteem highly, love’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix dis- ‘a(chǎn)part’ and legere ‘choose’ (source of English elect, neglect, and select), and so originally meant literally ‘single out’. It gradually passed semantically via ‘love’ to ‘a(chǎn)ttentiveness’, ‘carefulness’, and finally ‘steady effort’. => elect, neglect, select
diligent (adj.)
mid-14c., from Old French diligent (14c.), from Latin diligentem "attentive, assiduous" (see diligence). Related: Diligently.
雙語例句
1. He was careful and diligent. I was all over the place.
他細心且勤奮，我則稀里糊涂。
來自柯林斯例句
2. The historical research was impressively diligent.
該項歷史研究非常地認真、徹底。
來自柯林斯例句
3. A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.
爐子清潔無瑕就表明他母親是個勤勞的主婦.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
4. He is the more diligent of the two boys.
他是這兩個男孩中較用功的一個.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
5. She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.