Chaste (adjective)
Pronunciation: ['cheyst]
Definition: Morally pure, decent and modest; celibate, virginal; pure or austere in design.
Usage: Chaste has a verb form, as well: "to chasten." We often use the verb "chasten" to simply mean "punish." However, remember that it shares the last definition of today's word: in order to make a pure or simply designed work, one must chasten it, or refine excess from it. "Chastely" is the adverb and "chastity," the noun, a popular feminine name back in the days when the idea was popular. A chastener is someone who or something that chastens.
Suggested Usage: Although feminine chastity still plays an important role in some societies, the chastity of women is less remarkable today in the industrialized West. The new twist on today's word is "pure and simple in design," which we might use in: "Hector's chaste leadership model caused consternation among his subordinates for the security of their sinecures (for which see the Archives)." Purification is also a sense that has survived in today's word: "Hillbourne strove to chasten his mind with scotch and classical music when he sat down to work on his novel."
0 评论:
发表评论