dam

dam — 名詞

1. a strong wall or barrier placed across the path of a river or stream to hold bac

1.名詞B1
釋義

水壩；攔河壩

建在河流上蓄水或發電的屏障

a strong wall or barrier placed across the path of a river or stream to hold back the current, forming a lake or reservoir that can supply water for farming or produce electric power

例句

The government built a new dam across the Yellow River to supply water to nearby farms.

政府在黃河上新建了一座水壩，為附近的農田供水。

collocation: build a dam across [river]

After heavy rain, engineers checked the dam for cracks to prevent flooding.

大雨過後，工程師檢查水壩是否有裂縫，以防洪水。

同義詞
  • barrier

    a general term for any structure that blocks movement; less specific than dam

  • dike

    a wall built to prevent flooding from the sea, usually along a coast rather than across a river

  • weir

    a low dam built across a river to control water level, smaller and simpler than a dam

文法句型

a dam

the dam

常見錯誤

❌The dam exploded during the storm.
✅The dam broke during the storm.
💡Dams break or collapse; they do not explode in natural disaster contexts.

2. a mound of branches, mud, and stones that beavers build across a narrow stream t

2.名詞B1
釋義

河狸壩

河狸用樹枝與泥土築成的攔水結構

a mound of branches, mud, and stones that beavers build across a narrow stream to create a calm pond where they can live and store food

例句

The beavers built their dam across a small stream behind Bao's house.

河狸在 Bao 家後面的小溪上築起了牠們的壩。

collocation: build a beaver dam across [stream]

When the water level dropped, hikers could see the beaver dam made of branches and mud.

水位下降後，健行者可以看到那由樹枝和泥土築成的河狸壩。

material: branches, mud

同義詞
  • beaver lodge

    the beaver's home structure, usually built within the pond created by the dam

文法句型

a beaver dam

用法筆記

Beaver dams are typically much smaller than human-built dams and are made from natural materials. They play an important role in creating wetland ecosystems.

3. the mother of an animal, used especially for horses, cows, and other domestic an

3.名詞C1
釋義

母獸；母馬

動物的母親，尤指家畜

the mother of an animal, used especially for horses, cows, and other domestic animals that give birth to young

例句

The horse breeder recorded the dam's name along with the foal's birth date in the registry.

馬匹飼養員在登記簿上記錄了母馬的名字和小馬的出生日期。

collocation: dam + foal in breeding context

This prize-winning calf came from a dam that had won several national competitions.

這頭得獎小牛來自一頭曾在多次全國比賽中獲勝的母牛。

同義詞
  • mother

    the general term for a female parent in any species; less technical than dam

反義詞
  • sire

    the male parent of an animal, especially a horse or domestic animal

文法句型

the dam

dam + offspring

用法筆記

Frequently used in animal breeding records. Distinguish from sire, which refers to the male parent. The term dam is most common in horse and cattle breeding contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The dam of the puppy was a golden retriever.
✅The mother of the puppy was a golden retriever.
💡Dam is used for livestock and horses; for pet animals like dogs, mother is more common.

4. a thin flexible sheet, usually made of latex, placed over the mouth or teeth as

4.名詞C1
釋義

橡皮障；護膜

牙科或性行為使用的隔離薄片

a thin flexible sheet, usually made of latex, placed over the mouth or teeth as a barrier — dentists use it to isolate a single tooth during work on it, and it can also serve as protection during oral sex to lower the chance of infections

例句

The dentist placed a small rubber dam around Talia's tooth before starting the filling.

牙醫在開始補牙前，先在 Talia 的牙齒周圍放了一塊小橡皮障。

dental context: rubber dam around [tooth]

Noor bought dental dams at the pharmacy for protection during oral sex.

Noor 在藥局買了口交防護膜，以在口交時保護自己。

sexual health context: dental dam for protection

同義詞
  • rubber dam

    more common term in dentistry; refers to the same thin sheet

  • oral dam

    alternative name used in sexual health contexts

文法句型

a dental dam

use a dam

用法筆記

In dental contexts, also called a rubber dam. In sexual health contexts, the same type of sheet is often called a dental dam or oral dam. The colour and flavouring may differ between dental and sexual health products.

常見錯誤

❌He used a dental dam for the tooth extraction.
✅The dentist used a rubber dam during the root canal treatment.
💡Dental dam is the preferred term in both medical and sexual health contexts; rubber dam is more common in dentistry.

5. a unit of length equal to ten meters, written as dam in abbreviations — one deka

5.名詞C1
釋義

公丈

長度單位，一公丈等於十公尺

a unit of length equal to ten meters, written as dam in abbreviations — one dekameter is about 32.8 feet

例句

Using her GPS device, the surveyor noted that the field boundary sat 12 dam from the edge of the main road.

測量員用 GPS 儀器記錄到田地的邊界距離主要道路邊緣 12 公丈。

abbreviation usage: dam = dekameter

The surveyor recorded the distance between the two boundary markers as 12 dam on her field map.

測量員在外業地圖上記錄兩個界標之間的距離為 12 公丈。

surveying context: dam on a field map

文法句型

dam (abbreviation)

用法筆記

The abbreviation dam for dekameter is most common in technical and scientific writing. In everyday conversation, people usually say ten meters rather than one dekameter. The abbreviation uses the same letters as the noun dam, so context must clarify the meaning.

dam — 動詞