每日单词：dent

dent /dent/

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 基本释义 

dent: a dent is a hollow in the surface of something which has been caused by hitting or pressing it.

n. 凹痕，凹陷

 外刊例句 

One advantage is that composite-based planes use significantly less fuel. But there’s an important disadvantage. When aluminum is hit, you can see a dent. Composites, though, spring back to the original shape, which could hide internal damage.

使用复合材料制造的飞机的一个优点是能够大大节省燃油消耗。但它也有一个重要缺点。当铝受到撞击时会出现明显凹痕，而复合材料则会自动回复原来形状，使它所受的损伤难以察觉。

——《科学美国人》

 追根溯源 

单词dent最开始来自于古英语dynt，指“凹陷，凹痕”，也可做动词，表示“使（外表）产生凹痕”。后来有引申含义，表示“伤害、挫伤（信心、名誉等）”，或者“减退，削弱”。

“凹痕”有点像牙齿的参差不齐，所以dent作为词根，也表示“牙齿”。一些包含dent的英语单词，多与此相关，例如：

dental  /ˈdentəl/

adj. 牙科的，牙齿的

dentist  /ˈdentɪst/ 

n. 牙科医生

denture  /ˈdentʃər/

n. 假牙

 影视例句 

在美剧《摩登家庭》S02E24，路人以为Phil和Gloria是夫妻，Phil对这样的误会似乎还有点小心机：

I didn't think anything of it...until other people started making the same mistake. It reminded me of a college job I had parking cars. One day, I had to park an Aston Martin. I'll never forget the looks I got driving that baby down the block. I wasn't gonna dent this one.

我没有多想什么，直到别人也都开始犯同样的错误。让我想起了大学做泊车小弟的那会，有一天，我去泊一辆阿斯顿·马丁时，我永远也忘不了我开着那台好车时，别人投过来的羡慕眼光。这一次，我也一样要顺水推舟。

 上期复习 

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