mercenary

英語

詞源

繼承自中古英語 mercenarye (“受雇工作的人，雇佣兵”)，源自拉丁語 mercēnārius (“為錢受僱的”)，源自 mercēs (“报酬，工资”)。

發音

• (標準英音，澳大利亞) 國際音標^(幫助): /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/, /ˈmɜː.sən.ɹi/

  • 音頻 (英國)：

    (檔案)

• 英語發音：mûrʹsə-nĕr'ē，國際音標^(幫助): /ˈmɝ.səˌnɛɹ.i/

  • 音頻 (新澤西)：

    (檔案)

• 斷字：mer‧ce‧na‧ry

名詞

mercenary (複數 mercenaries)

1. (古舊) 唯利是圖者；唯金钱利益者
   • 1753，Alexander Pope，由 William Warburton，The Works of Alexander Pope, Esq: Satires, &c‎^[1]，22頁：

     J. Argyrofylus, a mercenary Greek, who came to teach school in Italy, after the sacking of Constantinople by the Turks, used to maintain that Cicero understood neither Philosophy nor Greek

     唯利是图的希腊人J·阿爾吉羅波洛斯在突厥人洗劫君士坦丁堡后来到意大利教书，他一直声称西塞罗既不懂哲学也不懂希腊语

   • 1811，William Giles，The guide to domestic happiness，9th版：

     Such a man emphatically deserves the name of fortune-hunter—a wretch as detestable in society, as destructive of domestic happiness! And if, when marriages are consummated on such plans, there be afterwards between the parties the least appearance of regard, and the common forms of decorum, it is more than can reasonably be expected, and infinitely more than such mercenaries deserve.

     这样的人绝对配得上“拜金者”的称号——一个在社会上令人憎恶、破坏家庭幸福的卑鄙之徒！如果按照这种计划缔结的婚姻，事后双方之间还能表现出一丝尊重和基本的礼仪，那已经远远超出了人们的合理预期，也远远超出了这些唯利是图者应得的。

2. 僱傭兵
   • 1781，Edward Gibbon，The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire‎^[2]，第3卷：

     He exhorts the emperor to revive the courage of his subjects by the example of manly virtue; to banish luxury from the court and from the camp; to substitute in the place of the Barbarian mercenaries, an army of men interested in the defence of their laws and of their property

     他劝诫皇帝以男子气概的美德重振臣民的勇气；取缔宫廷和军营中的奢靡之风；以一支忠于捍卫法律和财产的军队取代蛮族雇佣兵

   • 2004，Matthew Trundle，Greek Mercenaries: From the Late Archaic Period to Alexander‎^[3]：

     If a mercenary died, that was one fewer man to pay. Mercenaries were an efficient way to run a military campaign especially in view of the employer's ability to hire and fire when and if the situation demanded

     如果一名雇佣兵阵亡，那就意味着少付一笔钱。雇佣兵是开展军事行动的有效方式，尤其考虑到雇主可以根据形势需要随时雇佣和解雇他们

   • 2005，Karl Arthur，The Calling‎^[4]，62頁：

     The combat fatigues worn by the vehicle personnel did not appear to be standard military issue, more similar to what you would expect mercenaries to wear. Mercenaries, loyal to nothing except themselves and their off-shore bank accounts.

     车上人员穿着的作战服似乎并非标准军用制服，更像是雇佣兵的装束。这些雇佣兵，除了自己和他们的海外银行账户之外，什么都不忠。

近義詞

• 參見 Thesaurus:mercenary

下位詞

• condottiere、freelance、gallowglass、Landsknecht、lansquenet、Mamertine、routier、turcopole、sellsword、Wagnerite

形容詞

mercenary (比較級 more mercenary，最高級 most mercenary)

1. 图利的，貪財的，唯利是圖的

   近義詞：greedy, venal
2. 为金钱而工作的

派生詞彙

• antimercenary
• mercenarily
• mercenariness
• mercenaryism
• nonmercenary
• unmercenary

參見

• soldier

延伸閱讀

• OneLook 在线词典 上有关 mercenary 的释义
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “mercenary”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.