mortification 是一个名词,意思是"羞辱、屈辱",指一种因尴尬或丢脸而产生的强烈不适感。也可指宗教中的"苦修、克制肉欲",即通过禁欲或自我惩罚来抑制身体的欲望。
/ˌmɔːr.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
She felt deep mortification when she realized she had called her teacher by the wrong name in front of the whole class.
当她意识到自己在全班同学面前叫错了老师的名字时,她感到深深的羞辱。
To his utter mortification, the letter he had written in secret was read aloud at the dinner table, exposing feelings he had never intended to share.
令他万分难堪的是,他秘密写的那封信竟然在餐桌上被大声朗读了出来,暴露了他从未打算分享的感情。
该词源自晚期拉丁语 mortificatio,由 mortificare 派生而来,意为"使死亡、杀死"。其中 mors(属格 mortis)意为"死亡",**-ficare** 来自 facere,意为"做、使"。最初在宗教语境中指"克制肉体欲望",即让肉体的欲望"死去";后来词义扩展,也用来表示精神上的"羞辱、屈辱"——仿佛自尊心被"杀死"了一般。