小词详解 | fame

fame 英 [feɪm] 美 [feɪm]

考研 CET4 TEM4 TEM8

外刊例句

• OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and other AI builders such as Anthropic have shot to fame, scooping up billions of dollars in funding.
  开发 ChatGPT 的 OpenAI 以及 Anthropic 等其他人工智能公司一举成名，收获数十亿美元融资。
  ——《经济学人》
• Since then, it has been deluged with customers and fame.
  从那时起，它就客满为患，名声大噪。
  ——《纽约时报》

基本释义

[noun] the state of being known or talked about by many people, especially on account of notable achievements
[名词] （尤指因取得显著成就而）被许多人知道或谈论的状态

深入解读

Fame 是一个与熟词 famous 以及小站（微信公众号：田间小站）推送过的 infamous 同词根 fam （说）的单词，三者可以一并联想记忆。

从词源上来看， fame 一词源自拉丁语 fama （谈论、谣言、报道；声誉、舆论；名望、好名声），最早于13世纪初经古法语 fame （名声、声誉、名望；谣言）进入英语，也是用来表示“名声、名誉、名望、声誉、鼎鼎大名”，多指一种因取得显著成就而被许多人知道或谈论的状态，但作为一个包容广泛的普通用词，其名声范围可大可小、可远可近，也并不全是指好名声。比如：

• 追名逐利
  seek fame and fortune
• 一夜成名
  rise/shoot to fame overnight
• 这个镇唯一出名之处就是那里有过一次狂暴行为。
  The town's only claim to fame is that there was once a rampage there.

名著用例

She had not had fame or money before. Now they had come. She had not had adulation and affectionate propositions before. Now they had come.
昔日，她没有名，也没有钱。今天，两者都有了。昔日，她无人奉承，也无人求爱。今天，两者都来了。

出自美国现实主义作家西奥多·德莱赛（Theodore Dreiser）创作的长篇小说《嘉莉妹妹》（Sister Carrie）。

同近义词

• celebrity: the state of being well known
• renown: the condition of being known or talked about by many people; fame