apotheosis n. [uh-pah-thee-OH-sis]
尊为神;神化;典范;顶峰
Definition
1 a: the perfect form or example of something : quintessence
a: (某物)完美的形态或样板:精华,典型,精髓,第五元素
b: the highest or best part of something : peak
b:(某物)最高或最佳部分:顶峰,顶点
2: elevation to divine status: deification
2:尊为神,神化
Did You Know?
Among the anicent Greeks, it was sometimes thought fitting - or simply handy, say if you wanted a god somewhere in your bloodline - to grant someone or other "god" status. So they created the word apotheōsis, from the verb apotheoun, meaning "to deify." (The prefix apo- can mean "off," "from," or "away," and theos is the Greek word for "god.") There's not a lot of Greek-style apotheosizing in the 21st century, but there is hero-worship. Out extended use of apotheosis as "elevation to divine status" is the equivalent of "placement on a very high pedestal." Even more common these days is to use apotheosis in reference to a perfect example or ultimate form. For example, one might describe a movie as "the apotheosis of the sci-fi movie genre."
词源词根演化:apo- (from) + theos (god) --> apotheoun (v.) / apotheōsis (n.) --> apotheosis (n.)
在古希腊,你让家族中的某位神给予某人或他人“神”地位,这是合适的,也是很方便的。所以他们就创造了单词apotheōsis。这个名词来自于动词apotheoun,意思是“神化”。前缀apo-的意思是“离开”,“从...”,或者“远离”;theos是希腊单词god(神)。在21世纪已经很少有神崇拜了,不过我们还是崇拜英雄。所以apotheosis“神化”这个意思现在等价于“尊之为神”。现代更为常见的用法是用于指代完美的样板或者最终形态。例如,可以用将某电影描述为“the apotheosis of the sci-fi movie genre (科幻电影的神作)”
注:bloodline:血统,血族;pedestal:基架,受人尊敬的地位;
Example
- "Four decades after its box office debut, Grease remains a cultural phenomenon. ... [Olivia] Newton-John is particularly stellar, with her charming persona and spotless soprano voice making the film the apotheosis of her '70s superstardom."
--- Billborad.com, 4 Oct 2018
在上映40年后,Grease(油脂)这部电影依然保持作为一种文化现象...[Olivia] Newton-John 尤其是一流的,她魅力的人格以及无瑕的女高音,使得这部电影成为她作为70年代超级明星的神作。
注:decade:十年;box office:售票处;cultrual phenomenon:文化现象;stellar:星(状的),和电影明星有关的,一流的;persona:角色,面具人格;spotless:洁白无瑕的,非常洁净的,无缺点;soprono voice:女高音;superstardom:超级明星 - "In 2018, this adaptation [of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451] speaks to the apotheosis of social media, to the approach of authoritarianism, and to any other anxieties about the self-surveillance state that you might harbor."
--- Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, 18 May 2018
在2018年,这个对Ray Bradbury的Fahrenheit 451的改编电影,与社交媒体的神对话,对专制主义方法对话,以及与对自治州的焦虑对话。
注:adaptation:改编;social media:社交媒体;authoritarianism:权利主义,专制主义;self-surveillance:自治州
Reference
Grease:1978年美国的浪漫音乐喜剧电影,中译作:油脂
Farenheit 451: a dystopian (反乌托邦的) novel by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in 1953. The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found.