mare
mare — noun
- maresingular
- maresplural
1. a fully grown female animal that belongs to the horse family, including donkeys
a fully grown female animal that belongs to the horse family, including donkeys and zebras
The mare gave birth to a healthy foal last spring on the Johnson farm.
mare gave birth to a foal
Ezra spent the morning brushing his mare's mane in the stable.
brushing a mare's mane
At the horse market, the farmer sold two mares and kept the stallion.
The brown mare stood patiently while the farrier replaced her front shoes.
Naoko's mare won first place in the dressage competition last weekend.
- filly
refers to a young female horse, usually under four years old, not a fully mature one
- brood mare
a mare kept specifically for breeding, not used for riding
常見錯誤
2. an insulting way of referring to a woman, comparing her to a female horse and su
an insulting way of referring to a woman, comparing her to a female horse and suggesting she is unpleasant, bad-tempered, or unattractive
The manager was disciplined after calling a female colleague an old mare in the office.
derogatory: calling someone 'an old mare'
Ziad told his friend the word mare was a rude way to describe a woman.
The newspaper apologised after calling the politician a bad-tempered mare.
Calling a woman a mare is just as offensive as calling a man a donkey.
- bitch
a much stronger and more common insult for a woman; 'mare' is less common but similarly dehumanising
用法筆記
Strongly offensive. Learners should understand this insult but avoid using it in any real situation. It equates a woman to a female horse, implying she is large, noisy, or difficult to control.
常見錯誤
3. an event or set of circumstances that causes great difficulty or annoyance — sim
an event or set of circumstances that causes great difficulty or annoyance — similar to the word 'nightmare', but not referring to an actual bad dream
The train strike turned Rachel's journey home into an absolute mare.
absolute mare — intensifier pattern
Diego said filling out the visa application was a real mare.
Getting the online booking system to work has been a complete mare all week.
The kitchen renovation became a mare after the builders kept changing the schedule.
用法筆記
Chiefly British informal slang, used in the same way as 'nightmare' for real-life difficulties. Common intensifiers before 'mare' include 'absolute', 'complete', 'real', and 'total'. Does not refer to bad dreams — use 'nightmare' for that.
常見錯誤
4. a big dark plain visible on Mars and the Moon, which early sky watchers wrongly
a big dark plain visible on Mars and the Moon, which early sky watchers wrongly believed to be an ocean
The largest mare on the moon is called Mare Imbrium, which means Sea of Rains.
named mare + Latin meaning
Mira studied the dark outline of Mare Tranquillitatis through her telescope.
In 1971, astronauts landed near a mare and gathered rock samples from its surface.
Three dark maria visible from Earth are called the Seas of Tranquillity, Serenity, and Rains.
- lunar plain
a descriptive English alternative without the Latin plural form
- mare basin
refers to the geological basin that forms a mare, used in scientific contexts
- highland
the lighter, raised areas of the moon's surface, called terrae in Latin
用法筆記
Technical term in astronomy. The plural form is 'maria' (pronounced /ˈmɑːriə/). Mare names are always capitalised in Latin form, e.g. Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds). When using the English term, lowercase 'mare' is acceptable.