blight, wither, opine, speechless

“I don’t believe in evil, I believe only in horror. In nature there is no evil, only an abundance of horror: the plagues and the blights and the ants and the maggots.” —Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)
Google CEO Speechless Before Annual Event
PC Magazine
Google CEO Larry Page remains silent about anticipated Google attractions, but not because he refuses to speak. Because he can't.


 口吃的英王演講之後
 邱吉爾跟他說 I am speechless

Within the PAP, and for many other Singaporeans, Mr Lee remains a revered figure. But it’s also clear that new generations of Singaporeans are ready to move onto a new era, and the PAP will have to reflect that or wither. It’s unclear whether a few men in white coats took MM aside to finally do some plain speaking of their own, or whether Mr Lee took the decision himself to resign from the cabinet. But the result is the same; the founding-father will continue to opine, but the PAP will have a little more room to change and adapt to a changed electoral landscape.


Bringing Down the Curtain on a Symbol of Blight
By MANNY FERNANDEZ
On orders of the City Council, storefront roll-down gates, the unnoticed wallpaper of New York at night, have been legislated against, some right into extinction.




blight (blīt)
n.

1. 1. Any of numerous plant diseases resulting in sudden conspicuous wilting and dying of affected parts, especially young, growing tissues.
   2. The condition or causative agent, such as a bacterium, fungus, or virus, that results in blight.
2. An extremely adverse environmental condition, such as air pollution.
3. Something that impairs growth, withers hopes and ambitions, or impedes progress and prosperity.

v., blight·ed, blight·ing, blights. v.tr.

1. To cause (a plant, for example) to undergo blight.
2. To have a deleterious effect on; ruin. See synonyms at blast.

v.intr.
To suffer blight.

[Origin unknown.]

wither

(wĭTH'ər)

v., -ered, -er·ing, -ers.

v.intr.

1. To dry up or shrivel from or as if from loss of moisture.
2. To lose freshness; droop.

v.tr.

1. To cause to shrivel or fade.
2. To render speechless or incapable of action; stun: The teacher withered the noisy student with a glance.

[Alteration of Middle English widderen, perhaps variant of wederen, to weather, from weder, weather. See weather.]

speechless[speech・less]

• 発音記号[spíːtʃlis]

[形]

1 〈人が〉（一時的に）（ショックなどのために）物が言えない((with, from ...))

be speechless with ［from］ horror
恐怖のあまり口がきけない.

2 〈感情などが〉言葉で表現できないほど激しい, 言いようのない.

3 言葉にも表さぬ, 無言の.

4 〈人が〉言語能力のない, 言葉をしゃべれない, 寡黙な, 無口の.

speech・less・ly

[副]

speech・less・ness

[名]