foolishness:愚蠢;傻气;不明智的行为或想法(多指缺乏判断、轻率或不理性的做法)。也可泛指“荒唐事”。
/ˈfuːlɪʃnəs/
It was foolishness to spend all his savings on a whim.
把所有积蓄一时冲动就花光,真是愚蠢。
Looking back, she saw that her stubborn pride had been a kind of foolishness that hurt the people who cared about her most.
回头看,她明白自己的固执与骄傲是一种愚蠢,伤害了最在乎她的人。
来自 foolish(愚蠢的)+ 名词后缀 -ness(表示“性质、状态”)。fool 原指“愚人、傻子”,在中世纪也常指宫廷弄臣;后来词义稳定为“缺乏判断的人/行为”。因此 foolishness 就是“愚蠢这一性质或表现”。