preposterous

• adj. 荒谬的；可笑的

来自拉丁语praeposterus,矛盾的，前后颠倒的，来自prae,在前，post,在后。引申词义荒唐的，荒谬的。

preposterous

preposterous: [16] Preposterous originated as a Latin oxymoron, praeposterus. This was coined from prae ‘before’ and posterus ‘coming after, next’, a derivative of post ‘after’. It denoted ‘the wrong way round, out of order’ (and indeed that was how English preposterous was once used: ‘The preposterous is a pardonable fault … We call it by a common saying to set the cart before the horse’, George Puttenham, Art of English Poesie 1589). But already in Latin the notion had developed via ‘irrational’ to ‘absurd’, a sense quickly taken up by English.

preposterous (adj.)

1540s, from Latin praeposterus "absurd, contrary to nature, inverted, perverted, in reverse order," literally "before-behind" (compare topsy-turvy, cart before the horse), from prae "before" + posterus "subsequent." Related: Preposterously; preposterousness.

1. The implication that marital infidelity enhances a leader's credibility is preposterous.

婚姻不忠会提升领导人可信度的暗示荒谬之极。

来自柯林斯例句

2. These claims are absolutely preposterous!

这些要求简直荒谬绝伦！

来自《权威词典》

3. It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.

用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的.

来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4. The whole idea was preposterous.

整个想法都荒唐透顶。

来自辞典例句

5. He rushed about doing preposterous things in an extraordinary manner.

他奔来奔去,离奇古怪地干下了种种荒谬的事情.

来自辞典例句