• adj. 弱小的；微不足道的；微小的

來自古法語puisne,最小的，最后出生的，來自puis,以后，在后，來自拉丁語post,在后。-ne,出生，詞源同natal.引申詞義小的，弱的，劣質的，孱弱的。

puny

puny: [16] Etymologically, puny means ‘born later’. It was borrowed from Old French puisne, a compound adjective formed from puis ‘afterwards’ and ne ‘born’ (a relative of English native, nature, etc). This signified ‘junior’, in which sense it was originally acquired by English as puisne. This spelling survives (albeit pronounced the same as puny) as a term denoting a judge of junior rank, and the anglicized orthography has since the 18th century been reserved to ‘feeble, small’.
=> nation, native, nature

puny (adj.)

1570s, "inferior in rank" (1540s as a noun, "junior pupil, freshman"), from Middle French puisné (Modern French pu?né), from Old French puisne "born later, younger, youngest" (12c., contrasted with aisné "first-born"), from puis nez, from puis "afterward" (from Vulgar Latin *postius, from Latin postea "after this, hereafter," from post "after," see post-, + ea "there") + Old French né "born," from Latin natus, past participle of nasci "be born" (Old Latin gnasci; see genus). Sense of "small, weak, insignificant" first recorded 1590s. Compare puisne. Related: Puniness.

1. The lamb was a puny little thing.

羊羔瘦小孱弱。

來自《權威詞典》

2. Have grandiose aims but puny abilities, great ambition but little talent.

眼高手低, 志大才疏.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

3. We did not meet again for ten years , by then , the rather puny boy had grown into a six - foot man, weighing 200 pounds.

我們有10年沒有見面了, 本來是一個小不點的男孩子,現在已長成6英尺高200磅重的大個兒了.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

4. The resources at the central banks' disposal are simply too puny.

中央銀行掌握的資金實在太少了。

來自辭典例句

5. Antonio was a puny lad, and not strong enough to work.

安東尼奧是個瘦小的小家伙, 身體還不壯,還不能干活.

來自辭典例句