page 148 @ 倫倫的小blog

dilemma

n.進退兩難 [ a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives.]

ex.女朋友叫你陪她，可是你要準備考試

如果陪女朋友，考試就會考不好

準備考試，女朋友就會不高興

補充.

di-lemma(原指的是promise)

lemma n.[輔助定理]A subsidiary proposition assumed to be valid and used to demonstrate a principal proposition.

dilettante /ˏdɪləˋtæntɪ/

n.業餘愛好者 [a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, esp. in a desultory or superficial way; dabbler.]

補充：dilettante是來自Italian, lover of the arts

diligence

di(dis)-lig(leg,from lect; choose)-ence

n. 勤勉,勤奮 [Earnest and persistent application to an undertaking; steady effort; assiduity .]

ps.diligent adj.勤勉的,勤奮的

字的歷史：Sense evolved from "love" through "attentiveness" to "carefulness" to "steady effort."

原本是指將喜歡的東西挑出來，最原始的字義是"love".
接著轉化成"專注attentiveness" or"小心carefulness"，指的是挑喜歡的東西時的專注
現在這個字則是指"steady effort"，就是持續的努力；勤勉的意思

dilute

di-lut(wash)-e

v.稀釋 [to make (a liquid) thinner or weaker by the addition of water or the like.]

ex. diluted the concentrated fruit juice with water.

dim

adj.微暗的 [Lacking in brightness]

ex. a dim room.

v.使變暗淡

字源：
從O.E. dimm 來的 "dark, gloomy, obscure".
The verb was also in O.E. Slang sense of " stupid " is from 1892

dingy

adj.暗淡的;昏暗的 [of a dark, dull, or dirty color or aspect; lacking brightness or freshness.]

adj.衣衫襤褸的

note. Dingy clothes, curtains, or furnishings look dirty or dull

ps.ding h y n. 用來載客的，如補給船、救生艇或大遊船上的小船

din

n.喧囂,嘈雜聲 [ a loud, confused noise; noisy clamor.]

v.發出嘈雜聲

ex. din:ear 喧鬧刺耳

聯想：丁丁之歌很吵

dimension

di-mens(measure)-ion

n.(長,寬,厚,高等的)尺寸 [A measure of spatial extent, especially width, height, or length.]

n.維度 ex. 2D, 3D, 4D(加時間軸)

diminution /dɪməˋnuʃən/

di-minu(min;make small)-tion

n.縮小,減少 [the act, fact, or process of diminishing]

n.音樂上的聲音減小 [ Music . the repetition of a subject or theme in notes of shorter duration than those first used.]

ps.crescendo diminuendo

dimple

n.酒窩

diploma

di-plo(fold)-ma

n.畢業文憑,學位證書

字源：
在Gk.這個字指的是"a letter folded double"
而後轉變成" a letter of recommendation, an official document"

diplomat & diplomatic

diplomat

n.外交官 [One, such as an ambassador, who has been appointed to represent a government in its relations with other governments.]

diplomatic

diplomat-ic

adj.外交的

xenophobic:diplomatic
恐懼外國人的是害怕外交的

dire

adj.可怕的(程度強) [causing or involving great fear or suffering; dreadful ]

ex. a dire calamity

dirge

n.送葬曲,輓歌(聲音型態) [a funeral song or tune, or one expressing mourning in commemoration of the dead.]

ps. A dirge is a slow, sad song or piece of music.

補充：

word history

The history of the word dirge illustrates how a word with neutral connotations, such as direct , can become emotionally charged because of a specialized use. The Latin word dīrige is a form of the verb dīrigere, "to direct, guide," that is used in uttering commands. In the Office of the Dead dīrige is the first word in the opening of the antiphon for the first nocturn of Matins: "Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam," "Direct, O Lord, my God, my way in thy sight." The part of the Office of the Dead that begins with this antiphon was named Dīrige in Ecclesiastical Latin. This word with this meaning was borrowed into English as dirige, first recorded in a work possibly written before 1200. Dirige was then extended to refer to the chanting or reading of the Office of the Dead as part of a funeral or memorial service. In Middle English the word was shortened to dirge, although it was pronounced as two syllables. After the Middle Ages the word took on its more general senses of "a funeral hymn or lament" and "a mournful poem or musical composition," and developed its one-syllable pronunciation.