/ˈstaɪmi/
stymie the spread of coronavirus
stymie sth/sb with sth
阻挠，阻碍
The verb stymie means to obstruct or hinder. Constantly texting with your friends will stymie your effort to finish your homework.
Stymie was first used on the golf course in Scotland, where it referred to an opponent’s ball blocking your own ball’s path to the cup. From there a verb sense developed, until finally stymie came to mean blocking with any obstacle, not just a golf ball.
【阻碍词汇】1. retard 阻止；妨碍；
-
check 制止；抑制；
-
hinder 阻碍；打扰；
-
impede 阻碍；妨碍；
-
arrest 阻止；
-
balk 阻止；推诿；
-
obstruct 妨碍；阻塞；
-
stymie 阻挠；阻碍；
-
stem 阻止；
-
stunt 阻碍…正常生长；
-
cumber 阻碍，妨害；
-
forestall 先发制人；
@Chatbot 你是一个英语教学的大师，你会用通俗易懂的方式给学生讲解各类英语知识，现在请你给我解释下上面帖子中我着重讲解的单词，介绍下这些单词在正式文书和口语中的各类含义，各举几个地道，自然的例子。介绍下这些单词的来历，以及我如何才能记住这些单词呢？
@Tristan, let’s break down the words you highlighted in your post. I’ll introduce their origins, meanings, and uses both in formal writing and casual conversation, with examples to make it easier for you to remember.
-
Retard
- Origin: From Latin retardare (to delay), combining re- (back) and tardare (to slow).
- Meaning: To delay or impede the development or progress of.
- Formal: “The new policy may retard economic growth.”
- Casual: “These frequent breaks are retarding our progress.”
-
Check
- Origin: From Old French eschequier, meaning “to attack the king in a chess game.”
- Meaning: To stop or slow the progress of something.
- Formal: “The government implemented measures to check inflation.”
- Casual: “You need to check your speed on this road.”
-
Hinder
- Origin: Old English hindrian (“to harm, injure”), from a Proto-Germanic root.
- Meaning: To obstruct or delay.
- Formal: “Lack of funding will hinder the research project’s progress.”
- Casual: “Bad weather can really hinder your travel plans.”
-
Impede
- Origin: Latin impedire, meaning “to hold the feet” (in- “in” + pes “foot”).
- Meaning: To delay or prevent.
- Formal: “Bureaucratic red tape can impede innovation.”
- Casual: “Carrying all those bags will impede your ability to run.”
-
Arrest
- Origin: Anglo-Norman, from French arrêt (to stop or stay).
- Meaning: To stop or seize.
- Formal: “The medication can arrest the progression of the disease.”
- Casual: “The loud noise arrested our attention.”
-
Balk
- Origin: Old English balca (ridge, bank), from Proto-Germanic.
- Meaning: To hesitate or be unwilling to accept an idea or undertaking.
- Formal: “He balked at the contract terms.”
- Casual: “She balked when I asked her to help with the project.”
-
Obstruct
- Origin: From Latin obstruere (to build up, block).
- Meaning: To block or hinder.
- Formal: “The fallen tree obstructed the road.”
- Casual: “Don’t obstruct the hallway with your bags.”
-
Stem
- Origin: Old English stemn, stefn (trunk of a tree), from Proto-Germanic.
- Meaning: To stop the flow or spread of something.
- Formal: “The new law aims to stem the tide of illegal immigration.”
- Casual: “We need a way to stem the water that’s leaking.”
-
Stunt
- Origin: From Middle English stunt (short, brief), Old English stunt (stupid, dull).
- Meaning: To prevent from growing or developing properly.
- Formal: “Poor nutrition can stunt a child’s growth.”
- Casual: “His injury really stunted his performance in the game.”
-
Cumber
- Origin: From Old French combre (obstruction), from Latin meaning “to carry.”
- Meaning: To burden or hinder.
- Formal: “The project was cumbered with delays.”
- Casual: “All these extra tasks are cumbering my schedule.”
-
Forestall
- Origin: From Old English foresteall (intervention, hindrance of justice).
- Meaning: To prevent or obstruct by taking action ahead of time.
- Formal: “The government took measures to forestall the economic crisis.”
- Casual: “She tried to forestall any arguments by addressing the issue early.”
Memory Tips:
- Relate the words to a situation you frequently encounter.
- Use the words in sentences related to your daily life.
- Group similar words together to create associations.
By integrating these words into your regular usage, their meanings and nuances will become second nature.