jealous

英文词源

jealous

jealous: [13] Etymologically, jealousy and zeal are two sides of the same coin. Both come ultimately from Greek zelos. This passed into post-classical Latin as zēlus, which later produced the adjective zēlōsus. Old French took this over as gelos or jelous and passed it on to English. The Greek word denoted ‘jealousy’ as well as ‘fervour, enthusiasm’, and it is this strand of meaning that has come down to us in jealous. Jalousie, incidentally, the French equivalent of jealousy, was borrowed into English in the 19th century in the sense ‘blind, shutter’ – the underlying notion apparently being that one can look through the slats without oneself being seen.
=> zeal

jealous (adj.)

c. 1200, gelus, later jelus (early 14c.), "possessive and suspicious," originally in the context of sexuality or romance; in general use late 14c.; also in a more positive sense, "fond, amorous, ardent," from c. 1300, from Old French jalos "keen, zealous; avaricious; jealous" (12c., Modern French jaloux), from Late Latin zelosus, from zelus "zeal," from Greek zelos, sometimes "jealousy," but more often in a good sense ("emulation, rivalry, zeal"). See zeal. In biblical language (early 13c.) "tolerating no unfaithfulness."

Most of the words for 'envy' ... had from the outset a hostile force, based on 'look at' (with malice), 'not love,' etc. Conversely, most of those which became distinctive terms for 'jealousy' were originally used also in a good sense, 'zeal, emulation.' [Buck, pp.1138-9]

Among the ways to express this in other tongues are Swedish svartsjuka, literally "black-sick," from phrase bara svarta strumpor "wear black stockings," also "be jealous." Danish skinsyg "jealous," literally "skin-sick," is from skind "hide, skin" said to be explained by Swedish dialectal expression fa skinn "receive a refusal in courtship."