【英语学习】【WOTD】countermand 释义/词源/示例

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countermand v. [KOUNT-er-mand]

取消，撤回，下相反的命令取消

Definition

1: to revoke (a command) by a contrary order
1: 通过一个相反的指令撤回（命令）

2: to recall or order back by a superseding contrary order
2：收回或者下令撤回

注：supersede：取代，接替，废弃

Did You Know?

In the military, one’s mandate is to follow the commands (and sometimes the countermands) of the officers. Doing their bidding is not particularly commendable — it’s simply mandatory. The Latin verb mandare, meaning “to entrust” or “to order,” is the authority behind countermand. It’s also behind the words mandate, command, demand, commend (which can mean “to entrust” as well as “to praise”), and mandatory. Countermand came to English via Anglo French, where the prefix cuntre- (“against”) was combined with the verb mander (“to command”). It has been a part of our language since the 1400s.

词源词根演化：cuntre- (“against”) + mander (“to command”) —> countermand (v.)

在军事上，对军人的要求是服从长官的command命令（有时候是countermand 相反命令）。严格执行长官的命令并不是特别的值得荣耀的事 — 因为在军队这是最简单的强制要求。 拉丁动词mandare，意思是“信赖”或者“命令”，是countermand背后的词源。这个词源也存在于诸多英语单词中，例如mandate，command，demand，commend（可以表示“信赖”或者“赞扬”）以及mandatory。countermand是通过盎格鲁诺曼语（Anglo-French）进入到英语中的，由前缀cuntre-（“相反”）与动词mander（“命令”）组合而成。自从1400年代英语就开始使用这个词了。

注：mandate：命令，指令，要求，授权；bidding：出价，投标，命令；commendable：值得赞美的，可钦佩的；entrust：信赖，信托，交托

Examples

• “Although the Special Counsel regulations may not permit the Acting Attorney General to countermand certain decisions made by the Special Counsel, the Special Counsel remains subject to the Acting Attorney General’s plenary supervision.”
  — Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post Blogs, 13 Aug. 2018

  尽管特别理事会的章程不会允许代理总检察长撤回理事会的决策，但是理事会还是会在代理总检察长的完全监管之下的。

  注：plenary：充分的，完全的，全体出席的；

• “The idea … was that there should be an extra layer of distance between the people and the choice of president — and that this layer should consist of a group of citizens (electors) who freely deliberate about the choice … with the outcome of those deliberations treated as legitimate by the people even when it countermands the result of the popular vote.”
  — Damon Linker, The Week, 19 Sept. 2018

  这个想法…是在民众与总统的选择之间增加额外一层间隔 — 这层间隔应该由一群公民（选举人）组成，他们可以不受干扰的研讨总统的选择… 研讨的结果被认为是由民众产生的合法结果，即使这个结果有可能与公众投票的结果相反。

注：deliberate：adj. 深思熟虑的，故意的，从容不迫的，v. 仔细考虑，研讨