• n. 困境；境況；誓約
• vt. 保證；約定

來自古英語pliht,有風險的承諾，危險，風險，來自Proto-Germanic*pleg,承諾，責任，擔保， 來自PIE*dlegh,忙于，從事于，責任，承諾，來自PIE*del,長的，詞源同long,play,pledge.引 申詞義誓言，誓約，特別是鄭重的誓言，如訂婚。

來自古法語pleit,情況，來自拉丁語plicare,卷入，卷進，詞源同ply,complex.后主要用于指壞 的情況，引申詞義苦難，困境。詞義部分受到上一詞義的影響。

plight

plight: see pleat

plight (v.)

"to pledge" (obsolete except in archaic plight one's troth), from Old English pligtan, plihtan "to endanger, imperil, compromise," verb form of pliht (n.) "danger, risk" (see plight (n.2)). Related: Plighted; plighting.

plight (n.1)

"condition or state (usually bad)," late 12c., "danger, harm, strife," from Anglo-French plit, pleit, Old French pleit, ploit "condition" (13c.), originally "way of folding," from Vulgar Latin *plictum, from Latin plicitum, neuter past participle of Latin plicare "to fold, lay" (see ply (v.1)).

Originally in neutral sense (as in modern French en bon plit "in good condition"), sense of "harmful state" (and current spelling) probably is from convergence and confusion with plight (n.2) via notion of "entangling risk, pledge or promise with great risk to the pledger."

plight (n.2)

"pledge," mid-13c., "pledge, promise," usually involving risk or loss in default, from Old English pliht "danger, risk, peril, damage," from Proto-Germanic *pleg- (cognates: Old Frisian plicht "danger, concern, care," Middle Dutch, Dutch plicht "obligation, duty," Old High German pfliht, German Pflicht "obligation, duty" (see plight (v.)). Compare Old English plihtere "look-out man at the prow of a ship," plihtlic "perilous, dangerous."

1. The country's economic plight is strangling its scientific institutions.

該國的經濟困境阻礙了其科研機構的工作進展。

來自柯林斯例句

2. He just wants to draw attention to the plight of the unemployed.

他僅僅是想引起人們對失業者困境的關注。

來自柯林斯例句

3. They bore their plight with stoicism and fortitude.

他們以堅忍剛毅的精神直面困境。

來自柯林斯例句

4. The plight of the Kurds gained global visibility.

庫爾德人的苦難引起了全球關注。

來自柯林斯例句

5. the plight of the homeless

無家可歸者的艱難困苦

來自《權威詞典》