日耳曼字根 N48 · eat:吃·进食(PIE *ed-)

GERMANIC ROOT · N048 · 日耳曼字根

eat / eat吃 · 进食 · 腐蚀

PIE root *ed- 「to eat」

语源:日耳曼本族(非借词)
古英语强变化:etan · ǣt · eten
共时词族:3 词

同源词跨语言对照 COGNATES ACROSS LANGUAGES

同一个印欧根 *ed-「吃」,英语 eat、拉丁 edere、希腊 phagein 本是一家。

N · GERMANIC 日耳曼

*ed- → PGmc *etaną → OE etan

eat

本族同根:eatery · overeat · edible(经拉丁)(详见本页)

L · LATIN 拉丁

*ed- → Latin edere「to eat」

ed-/es-L 篇待补

edible · obese · comestible;本批拉丁字根页暂无 edere 专页

G · GREEK 希腊

*ed- → Greek phagein「to eat」

phag-

sarcophagus · esophagus · polyphagous

格林定律 Grimm’s Law:PIE 齿音 *d- 规则分化 —— 日耳曼 d→t(eat 的 t)|拉丁保留 d-(edere)|希腊塞音清化为 ph-(phagein)。

最远同源可溯至梵语 ádmi「我吃」、拉丁语 edere(保留原始 *d-)。

元音等级 Ablaut ABLAUT GRADES

etan 属强变化第 V 类,词根元音 e/a/零级交替。

E-GRADE 全级

*ed-

现在时词干

eat(etan):吃

O-GRADE 过去单

*ēd-

过去式词干

ate(ǣt):吃(过去式)

ZERO-GRADE 零级

*ed-

过去分词

eaten(eten):被吃

音变小注 SOUND CHANGES

从 *ed- 到现代 eat 词族,关键语音变化。

①格林定律 /t/

PIE *d- 经格林定律在日耳曼清化为 t;词尾 -n 脱落,eat /iːt/。对照拉丁 edere。

②元音大推移 /iː/ 与 /eɪ/

现在式长 e → /iː/ eat;过去式 ate 发展为 /eɪt/(方言亦读 /ɛt/)。

③拉丁借词 edible

拉丁 edere 的形容词 edibilis 经古法语进入英语作 edible「可食的」,词根 ed- 保留。

④obese 的 ob-

拉丁 ob-(加强)+ edere「吃」→ obesus「吃胖了的」→ obese「肥胖的」。

形态纵深 MORPHOLOGY

etan 是古英语强变化第 V 类动词,四个词干由 Ablaut 驱动。

不定式 INFINITIVE

*etaną

OE etan

过去单数 PAST SG

*ē

OE ǣt

过去复数 PAST PL

*ētun

OE ǣton

过去分词 PAST PP

*etanaz

OE (ge)eten

拼写演变 · 文献证据

词干 古英语 中古英语 现代
现在词干 etan eten · ete eat
过去单数 ǣt at · et ate
过去分词 (ge)eten eten · eaten eaten

三个关键事实:① eat 是身体动作核心词;② eat away / eat into 引申「腐蚀、蚕食」(酸吃金属);③ overeat「暴食」、eatery「小饭馆」为现代派生。

-able拉丁 -bilis:edible「可食的」
-ery场所:eatery「小饭馆」
over-过度:overeat「暴食」
ob-加强:obese「吃胖的」

语义地图 SEMANTIC MAP

eat 各义由「进食」逐级引申。

吃、进食

OE

→

(酸)腐蚀、蚕食

隐喻 · OE

→

耗尽 eat into

ME
习语:eat out「下馆子」· eat up「吃光」· eat one’s words「收回前言」· dog-eat-dog「弱肉强食」· eat away「侵蚀」。

类型学验证 · 「吃 → 腐蚀」

「酸像被吃掉一样侵蚀金属」是跨语言普遍隐喻:汉语说「酸咬铁器」「锈吃掉了」,英语 eat away/eat into 同理。obese「肥胖」本义「(被)吃多了的」。

eat/iːt/S 核心
eat

吃 / 进食

古英语 etan「吃」< PGmc *etaną < PIE *ed-

动 吃,进食,腐蚀

衍

ate v 吃(过去式) overeat v 暴食 eatery n 小饭馆

eat out v 下馆子 eat up v 吃光 eating disorder n 进食障碍 eat into v 侵蚀

▪ We usually eat dinner at seven in the evening.
我们通常晚上七点吃晚饭。

▪ Acid can eat away at the metal over time.
酸会随时间腐蚀金属。

▪ They decided to eat out on their anniversary.
周年纪念日他们决定出去吃。

▪ Do not overeat before you go swimming.
游泳前不要吃得过饱。

edible/ˈedəbl/A
ed-ible

吃 / 可

拉丁 edibilis「可食的」< edere「吃」(*ed-)

形 可食用的 名 食物

▪ These wild berries are not edible.
这些野莓不能吃。

▪ The shop sells edible flowers for cakes.
这家店卖可用于蛋糕的食用花。

▪ Make sure the mushrooms are edible before cooking.
煮之前务必确认蘑菇可食用。

▪ The box held edible gifts like honey and jam.
盒子里装着蜂蜜和果酱这类可食用礼物。

obese/oʊˈbiːs/A
ob-ese

加强 / 吃

拉丁 obesus「吃胖了的」< ob- + edere「吃」

形 肥胖的,臃肿的

▪ The doctor warned that obese patients need more exercise.
医生警告肥胖患者需要多运动。

▪ Obese cats may develop joint problems.
肥胖的猫可能出现关节问题。

▪ The study followed obese adults for five years.
该研究跟踪了肥胖成人五年。

▪ A balanced diet helps obese children grow healthier.
均衡饮食帮助肥胖儿童更健康地成长。

dog-eat-dog/ˌdɔːɡiːtˈdɔːɡ/C
eat

自相残杀(的);残酷竞争

古英语 eat 家族:eat(狗吃狗);< PIE *ed-

名 自相残杀(的);残酷竞争

▪ The dog-eat-dog is widely used in this kind of work.
自相残杀在这类工作中被广泛使用。

▪ Please keep the dog-eat-dog in a safe place after use.
用后请把自相残杀放在安全的地方。

▪ The team moved the dog-eat-dog to the entrance of the building.
团队把自相残杀搬到了大楼入口。

▪ You can find a reliable dog-eat-dog at the shop near the station.
车站附近的店里能找到可靠的自相残杀。

eat away/ˈiːt əweɪ/C
eat

侵蚀;腐蚀;蚕食

古英语 eat 家族:eat(一点点吃掉);< PIE *ed-

名 侵蚀;腐蚀;蚕食

▪ They had to eat away before the situation got worse.
情况恶化前,他们不得不侵蚀。

▪ The team will eat away once the plan is ready.
计划就绪后,团队就会侵蚀。

▪ She decided to eat away after thinking it over.
仔细考虑后,她决定侵蚀。

▪ Nobody expected things to eat away so quickly.
没人料到情况会这么快侵蚀。

eat in/ˈiːt ɪn/C
eat

在家吃饭;在食堂吃

古英语 eat 家族:eat(在家中吃);< PIE *ed-

名 在家吃饭;在食堂吃

▪ They had to eat in before the situation got worse.
情况恶化前,他们不得不在家吃饭。

▪ The team will eat in once the plan is ready.
计划就绪后,团队就会在家吃饭。

▪ She decided to eat in after thinking it over.
仔细考虑后,她决定在家吃饭。

▪ Nobody expected things to eat in so quickly.
没人料到情况会这么快在家吃饭。

eat one’s words/ˈiːt wʌnz wɜːrdz/C
eat

收回前言;承认说错

古英语 eat 家族:eat(「吃下」自己的话);< PIE *ed-

名 收回前言;承认说错

▪ The eat one’s words is widely used in this kind of work.
收回前言在这类工作中被广泛使用。

▪ Please keep the eat one’s words in a safe place after use.
用后请把收回前言放在安全的地方。

▪ The team moved the eat one’s words to the entrance of the building.
团队把收回前言搬到了大楼入口。

▪ You can find a reliable eat one’s words at the shop near the station.
车站附近的店里能找到可靠的收回前言。

eat out/ˈiːt aʊt/C
eat

外出就餐;下馆子

古英语 eat 家族:eat(在外吃);< PIE *ed-

名 外出就餐;下馆子

▪ They had to eat out before the situation got worse.
情况恶化前,他们不得不外出就餐。

▪ The team will eat out once the plan is ready.
计划就绪后,团队就会外出就餐。

▪ She decided to eat out after thinking it over.
仔细考虑后,她决定外出就餐。

▪ Nobody expected things to eat out so quickly.
没人料到情况会这么快外出就餐。

eat up/ˈiːt ʌp/C
eat

吃光;耗尽;沉迷

古英语 eat 家族:eat(吃个精光);< PIE *ed-

名 吃光;耗尽;沉迷

▪ They had to eat up before the situation got worse.
情况恶化前,他们不得不吃光。

▪ The team will eat up once the plan is ready.
计划就绪后,团队就会吃光。

▪ She decided to eat up after thinking it over.
仔细考虑后,她决定吃光。

▪ Nobody expected things to eat up so quickly.
没人料到情况会这么快吃光。

eatable/ˈiːtəbl/C
eat

可吃的;能吃的

古英语 eat 家族:eat(可食用);< PIE *ed-

形 可吃的;能吃的

▪ The new rule will be eatable for everyone in the group.
新规则对组里每个人都将是可吃的。

▪ They considered the plan eatable after a long discussion.
经过长时间讨论,他们认为该计划是可吃的。

▪ The manager gave a eatable answer at the meeting.
经理在会上给出了一个可吃的的答复。

▪ Every solution must be eatable before it is approved.
每个方案在获批前都必须是可吃的的。

eaten/ˈiːtn/C
eat

吃(过分);被吃

古英语 eat 家族:eat(已被吃);< PIE *ed-

形 吃(过分);被吃

▪ The new rule will be eaten for everyone in the group.
新规则对组里每个人都将是吃。

▪ They considered the plan eaten after a long discussion.
经过长时间讨论,他们认为该计划是吃。

▪ The manager gave a eaten answer at the meeting.
经理在会上给出了一个吃的答复。

▪ Every solution must be eaten before it is approved.
每个方案在获批前都必须是吃的。

eater/ˈiːtər/C
eat

吃…的人/动物;食者

古英语 eat 家族:eat(进食之人);< PIE *ed-

名 吃…的人/动物;食者

▪ The eater arrived at the office earlier than usual.
那位吃…的人比平时更早到了办公室。

▪ A trained eater knows how to handle this kind of problem.
训练有素的吃…的人知道如何处理这类问题。

▪ They hired an experienced eater for the new project.
他们为新项目雇了一位有经验的吃…的人。

▪ The eater answered the reporters’ questions after the event.
活动结束后,吃…的人回答了记者的提问。

eatery/ˈiːtər i/C
eat

餐馆;小饭馆

古英语 eat 家族:eat(进食之处);< PIE *ed-

名 餐馆;小饭馆

▪ The eatery is widely used in this kind of work.
餐馆在这类工作中被广泛使用。

▪ Please keep the eatery in a safe place after use.
用后请把餐馆放在安全的地方。

▪ The team moved the eatery to the entrance of the building.
团队把餐馆搬到了大楼入口。

▪ You can find a reliable eatery at the shop near the station.
车站附近的店里能找到可靠的餐馆。

eating/ˈiːtɪŋ/C
eat

吃;进食;adj. 可生食的

古英语 eat 家族:eat(进食之中);< PIE *ed-

名 吃;进食;adj. 可生食的

▪ The whole eating took several hours to complete.
整个吃过程花了好几个小时才完成。

▪ Proper eating is essential if the results are to be reliable.
若要结果可靠,恰当的吃至关重要。

▪ The team studied the process of eating with great care.
团队非常仔细地研究了吃的过程。

▪ The manager wrote a clear report on the eating.
经理就吃写了一份清晰的报告。

eats/iːts/C
eat

吃(三单);n. 食物

古英语 eat 家族:eat(吃/食物);< PIE *ed-

动 吃(三单);n. 食物

▪ The manager decided to eats the problem before the meeting.
经理决定在会前吃这个问题。

▪ She will eats the task after the new plan is ready.
新计划准备好后她会去吃这项任务。

▪ They need to eats the materials before the class begins.
上课前他们需要吃这些材料。

▪ Nobody expected him to eats the plan so quickly.
没人料到他这么快就吃了计划。

man-eater/ˈmæniːtər/C
eat

食人者;食人兽;食男者

古英语 eat 家族:eat(食人者/兽);< PIE *ed-

名 食人者;食人兽;食男者

▪ The man-eater arrived at the office earlier than usual.
那位食人者比平时更早到了办公室。

▪ A trained man-eater knows how to handle this kind of problem.
训练有素的食人者知道如何处理这类问题。

▪ They hired an experienced man-eater for the new project.
他们为新项目雇了一位有经验的食人者。

▪ The man-eater answered the reporters’ questions after the event.
活动结束后,食人者回答了记者的提问。

overeat/ˌoʊvərˈiːt/C
eat

吃得过多;暴食

古英语 eat 家族:eat(吃过量);< PIE *ed-

名 吃得过多;暴食

▪ The overeat is widely used in this kind of work.
吃得过多在这类工作中被广泛使用。

▪ Please keep the overeat in a safe place after use.
用后请把吃得过多放在安全的地方。

▪ The team moved the overeat to the entrance of the building.
团队把吃得过多搬到了大楼入口。

▪ You can find a reliable overeat at the shop near the station.
车站附近的店里能找到可靠的吃得过多。

etch/etʃ/B
eat

蚀刻;铭刻;刻划

古英语 eat 家族:eat(蚀刻;铭刻;刻划);< PIE *ed-

动 蚀刻;铭刻;刻划

▪ The manager decided to etch the problem before the meeting.
经理决定在会前蚀刻这个问题。

▪ She will etch the task after the new plan is ready.
新计划准备好后她会去蚀刻这项任务。

▪ They need to etch the materials before the class begins.
上课前他们需要蚀刻这些材料。

▪ Nobody expected him to etch the plan so quickly.
没人料到他这么快就蚀刻了计划。

fret/fret/B
古英语 fretan 吞食
etan)

烦恼;磨损;侵蚀

古英语 eat 家族:古英语 fretan 吞食 + etan)(烦恼;磨损;侵蚀);< PIE *ed-

动 烦恼;磨损;侵蚀

▪ The manager decided to fret the problem before the meeting.
经理决定在会前烦恼这个问题。

▪ She will fret the task after the new plan is ready.
新计划准备好后她会去烦恼这项任务。

▪ They need to fret the materials before the class begins.
上课前他们需要烦恼这些材料。

▪ Nobody expected him to fret the plan so quickly.
没人料到他这么快就烦恼了计划。

maneater/ˈmænˌiːtər/C
man
eater

食人兽;食人族

古英语 eat 家族:man + eater(食人兽;食人族);< PIE *ed-

名 食人兽;食人族

▪ The maneater arrived at the office earlier than usual.
那位食人兽比平时更早到了办公室。

▪ A trained maneater knows how to handle this kind of problem.
训练有素的食人兽知道如何处理这类问题。

▪ They hired an experienced maneater for the new project.
他们为新项目雇了一位有经验的食人兽。

▪ The maneater answered the reporters’ questions after the event.
活动结束后,食人兽回答了记者的提问。

eat one wordsC
eat

收回前言,承认说错

古英语 eat 家族:eat(收回前言,承认说错);< PIE *ed-

名 收回前言,承认说错

衍

日耳曼扩词回补·合成词·层级待校

▪ The eat one words is widely used in this kind of work.
收回前言在这类工作中被广泛使用。

▪ Please keep the eat one words in a safe place after use.
用后请把收回前言放在安全的地方。

▪ The team moved the eat one words to the entrance of the building.
团队把收回前言搬到了大楼入口。

▪ You can find a reliable eat one words at the shop near the station.
车站附近的店里能找到可靠的收回前言。

词源树 ETYMOLOGY TREE

PIE *ed-(to eat)
│
├─ PGmc *etaną ── OE etan ── eat · ate · eaten
│    └─ overeat · eatery · eat out / eat up
│
├─ 拉丁 edere ── edibilis ── edible
│    └─ ob- + edere ── obesus ── obese
│
└─ 希腊 phagein ── phag-(sarcophagus 等)

证据与方法 EVIDENCE & METHOD

构拟 vs 文献

带星号 *ed-、*etaną 为构拟形;etan、ǣt、eten 是古英语真实形式。

入英年代

eat 为本族词(5 世纪入英);edible、obese 为后借自拉丁的学术词。

频率与地位

eat 是英语最高频动词之一;edible/obese 集中于饮食与医学语境。

三重证据法:格林定律(*d → t)→ 跨语言对音(拉丁 edere、希腊 phagein、梵 ádmi)→ 古英语文献年代。

外围同源 BEYOND THE FAMILY

*ed-「吃」在希腊一支长成了大量医学术语。

GREEK 希腊

phagein「to eat」

phagein「吃」→ sarcophagus「食肉石棺」· esophagus「食道」

LATIN 拉丁

edere「to eat」

edere → edible「可食」· obese「肥胖」· comestible「可食」

esophagus

希腊 eso「进」+ phagein「吃」:食物下行的管道 → 食道

amanuensis 误

注意:ami「爱」与本根无关;勿把 edible 与 adore 混

外围日耳曼

德语 essen「吃」· 荷兰语 eten

一屏速记 · 字根词卡(本族 21 词)
eat/iːt/
v. 吃;进食;腐蚀
源etan<*ed-
构eat(吃)
链吃→腐蚀→耗尽
例eat dinner。
edible/ˈedəbl/
adj. 可食用的;n. 食物
源edibilis
构ed(吃)+-ible
链能吃的
例not edible。
obese/oʊˈbiːs/
adj. 肥胖的
源obesus
构ob+es(吃)
链吃多了的→肥胖
例obese patient。
dog-eat-dog/ˌdɔːɡiːtˈdɔːɡ/
名 自相残杀(的);残酷竞争
源eat
构eat
链狗吃狗
例The dog-eat-dog is widely used in this kind of work.

eat away/ˈiːt əweɪ/
名 侵蚀;腐蚀;蚕食
源eat
构eat
链一点点吃掉
例They had to eat away before the situation got worse.

eat in/ˈiːt ɪn/
名 在家吃饭;在食堂吃
源eat
构eat
链在家中吃
例They had to eat in before the situation got worse.

eat one’s words/ˈiːt wʌnz wɜːrdz/
名 收回前言;承认说错
源eat
构eat
链「吃下」自己的话
例The eat one’s words is widely used in this kind of work.

eat out/ˈiːt aʊt/
名 外出就餐;下馆子
源eat
构eat
链在外吃
例They had to eat out before the situation got worse.

eat up/ˈiːt ʌp/
名 吃光;耗尽;沉迷
源eat
构eat
链吃个精光
例They had to eat up before the situation got worse.

eatable/ˈiːtəbl/
形 可吃的;能吃的
源eat
构eat
链可食用
例The new rule will be eatable for everyone in the group.

eaten/ˈiːtn/
形 吃(过分);被吃
源eat
构eat
链已被吃
例The new rule will be eaten for everyone in the group.

eater/ˈiːtər/
名 吃…的人/动物;食者
源eat
构eat
链进食之人
例The eater arrived at the office earlier than usual.

eatery/ˈiːtər i/
名 餐馆;小饭馆
源eat
构eat
链进食之处
例The eatery is widely used in this kind of work.

eating/ˈiːtɪŋ/
名 吃;进食;adj. 可生食的
源eat
构eat
链进食之中
例The whole eating took several hours to complete.

eats/iːts/
动 吃(三单);n. 食物
源eat
构eat
链吃/食物
例The manager decided to eats the problem before the meeting.

man-eater/ˈmæniːtər/
名 食人者;食人兽;食男者
源eat
构eat
链食人者/兽
例The man-eater arrived at the office earlier than usual.

overeat/ˌoʊvərˈiːt/
名 吃得过多;暴食
源eat
构eat
链吃过量
例The overeat is widely used in this kind of work.

etch/etʃ/
动 蚀刻;铭刻;刻划
源eat
构eat
例The manager decided to etch the problem before the meeting.

fret/fret/
动 烦恼;磨损;侵蚀
源古英语 fretan 吞食 + etan)
构古英语 fretan 吞食 + etan)
例The manager decided to fret the problem before the meeting.

maneater/ˈmænˌiːtər/
名 食人兽;食人族
源man + eater
构man + eater
例The maneater arrived at the office earlier than usual.

eat one words
名 收回前言,承认说错
源eat
构eat
例The eat one words is widely used in this kind of work.

跨语族同源 RELATED ROOTS · *ed-

同一个 PIE *ed-,在三条语源主线上分化,可横向对照:

N · 日耳曼本页 eat
L · 拉丁 edere/edible(待补)
G · 希腊 G088 · phag(phagein)