acquaintance(名词):熟人;相识的人(关系通常不如“朋友”亲近);也可指“认识、了解”(较少见的抽象用法,如 make the acquaintance of)。
/əˈkweɪntəns/
I ran into an old acquaintance at the supermarket.
我在超市偶遇了一位老熟人。
Though they were only casual acquaintances, he trusted her judgment on the project.
尽管他们只是泛泛之交,他仍在项目上信任她的判断。
来自中古法语 acointance(相识、熟悉),与 acquaint(使认识、使熟悉)同源;进一步可追溯到拉丁语词根,含“使熟悉、让人了解”的意义。现代英语中常用来表示“熟人/泛泛之交”,强调认识但不一定亲密。