whine /waɪn/
作动词时常指(因不满、难受或想要得到某物而)哭哭啼啼地抱怨、哼哼唧唧地诉苦;也可指发出细长、尖细的声音(如机器的“嗡鸣/尖啸”)。作名词时指抱怨的哼哼声或尖细的声音。(另有较少见的其他用法。)
/waɪn/
He kept whining about the homework.
他一直在为作业哼哼唧唧地抱怨。
The engine began to whine as the car climbed the steep hill, and she complained that the long trip was wearing her out.
汽车爬上陡坡时引擎开始发出尖细的嗡鸣声,而她也抱怨这趟长途旅行快把她累垮了。
whine源自中古英语,与表示“发出尖细声音、呜咽”的词根相关,最初更偏向描述声音(如呜咽、尖叫),后来语义延伸到形容人以“哀哀怨怨”的方式抱怨。