pith
pith — 名詞
1. the spongy white layer found just beneath the peel of oranges, lemons, and simil
白色海綿層
柑橘皮內或植物莖中的白色軟組織
the spongy white layer found just beneath the peel of oranges, lemons, and similar fruits, or the soft central tissue inside the stems of certain plants
Sofie peeled the orange slowly, trying to leave as little white pith on the fruit as possible.
Sofie 慢慢地剝著柳丁皮，盡量讓果肉上殘留的白色海綿層越少越好。
collocation: white pith
The lemon pith tasted bitter, so Talia scraped it off before adding the slices to the cake.
檸檬的白色海綿層嚐起來很苦，所以 Talia 在把檸檬片加入蛋糕之前先把它刮掉了。
collocation: lemon pith / orange pith
Ravindra sliced the elderberry stem open and showed the children the soft pith running through the middle.
Ravindra 切開接骨木的莖，讓孩子們看中間那條軟軟的白色海綿層。
When you make marmalade, some cooks leave the pith on for extra texture and a slightly bitter note.
做橘子果醬的時候，有些人會保留白色海綿層，增加口感並帶點微苦的風味。
Rodrigo separated the grapefruit segments from the pith with a small knife, working slowly around each one.
Rodrigo 用小刀慢慢地將葡萄柚果肉與白色海綿層分離，一片一片仔細處理。
2. the most vital or central part of an idea, argument, or experience — what everyt
精髓；核心
事物最重要、最關鍵的部分
the most vital or central part of an idea, argument, or experience — what everything else depends on
Dahlia read the long report twice before she felt she had grasped the pith of the author's argument.
Dahlia 把那份長長的報告讀了兩遍，才覺得自己掌握了作者論點的精髓。
collocation: the pith of + argument
The pith of Tariq's speech was simple: we owe more to the next generation than we admit.
Tariq 演講的核心很簡單：我們欠下一代遠比我們願意承認的還要多。
the pith of + speech
Brandon went over every detail, but the pith of the matter was that the company was broke.
Brandon 把每個細節都討論過了，但這件事的核心就是公司已經破產了。
Despite the poem's elegant language, its pith was simple grief over losing someone.
儘管這首詩的文字優美，它的精髓不過是失去一個人所帶來的單純悲痛。
Eri found the pith of the philosophy book buried in chapter four, hidden beneath pages of historical background.
Eri 在第四章找到了那本哲學書的核心思想，它被埋藏在好幾頁的歷史背景之下。
- essence
broader in scope; works for physical extracts as well as abstract ideas
- core
suggests a solid centre around which everything else is built; more common in everyday speech
- gist
refers specifically to the general meaning of something spoken or written, not to its importance
- crux
narrower; the single decisive point on which an argument or case turns
- periphery
the outer edge or less important part of a topic
用法筆記
Often appears in formal or literary contexts. The set phrase 'the pith of the matter' is common in discussion and debate.
常見錯誤
pith — 動詞
- pithpresent simple I / you / we / they
- piths3rd person singular
- pithing-ing form
- pithedpast simple
1. to put an animal to death by cutting through or piercing its spinal cord
刺脊處死
切斷或刺穿動物的脊髓使其死亡
to put an animal to death by cutting through or piercing its spinal cord
The vet had to pith the injured horse quickly to end its suffering on the roadside.
獸醫不得不迅速刺脊處死那匹受傷的馬，以結束牠在路邊的痛苦。
pith + animal (transitive)
In the old slaughterhouse, workers would pith cattle with a sharp rod before the carcass was processed.
在舊式屠宰場裡，工人會用尖銳的鐵棒刺入牛的脊髓將其處死，然後才處理屠體。
Sora watched the documentary scene where a farmer showed how to pith a sheep humanely with a single swift cut.
Sora 看了一段紀錄片，片中一位農夫示範如何用一個迅速的動作人道地刺脊處死一隻羊。
Before modern stunning methods, butchers relied on pithing animals to ensure they were dead before bleeding.
在現代電擊方式出現之前，屠夫依賴刺脊處死來確保動物在放血之前已經死亡。
Tomás had to pith the injured goat behind the barn, using the sharp rod his uncle handed him.
Tomás 不得不在穀倉後面將那隻受傷的山羊刺脊處死，用他叔叔遞給他的尖銳鐵棒。
文法句型
pith + animal
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense verb/2 (PROBE SPINAL CANAL): this is the general practice of killing livestock by severing the spinal cord, used in farming and veterinary contexts rather than in laboratory settings.
2. in a laboratory, to kill a frog or similar animal by running a thin wire or need
探針毀脊
用針或鐵絲插入脊髓管以破壞中樞神經
in a laboratory, to kill a frog or similar animal by running a thin wire or needle along its spinal canal, destroying the central nervous system
The biology students learned to pith a frog before beginning the dissection, following the lab manual step by step.
生物課的學生在開始解剖之前學會了用探針毀脊處理青蛙，按照實驗手冊一步步操作。
pith + frog (lab context)
Felipe felt nervous pithing his first lab mouse, holding the thin wire his professor had given him.
Felipe 第一次為實驗鼠進行探針毀脊時很緊張，手裡握著教授給他的細鐵絲。
Mira slid the thin wire into the frog's spinal canal, pithing it before the dissection began.
Mira 將細鐵絲滑入那隻青蛙的脊髓管，在解剖開始前將牠探針毀脊。
Amani watched the technician pith the toad with a steady hand, sliding the needle precisely into the spinal canal.
Amani 看著技術員用穩定的手為那隻蟾蜍進行探針毀脊，精準地將針頭滑入脊髓管。
Rin practised pithing the toad under the professor's watch, sliding the needle in with care.
Rin 在教授的注視下練習為那隻蟾蜍進行探針毀脊，小心翼翼地將針頭插入。
- dispatch
broader term for killing an animal; does not imply the specific spinal-canal method
文法句型
pith + animal
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense verb/1 (SEVER SPINAL CORD): this refers specifically to the laboratory technique using a wire or needle inserted into the spinal canal, typically for scientific specimens such as frogs and mice.
3. to take out the soft central tissue from the stem of a plant
去除莖髓
從植物莖中取出柔軟的中心組織
to take out the soft central tissue from the stem of a plant
Sari showed the workshop group how to pith an elderberry twig to make a hollow tube for traditional wooden whistles.
Sari 向工作坊的學員示範如何去除接骨木細枝的莖髓，做成空心管用來製作傳統木笛。
pith + plant stem for crafting
Before weaving the basket, the artisan sat on the porch and carefully pithed each reed with a thin bamboo skewer.
在開始編織籃子之前，那位工匠坐在門廊上用細竹籤仔細地去除每根蘆葦的莖髓。
The woodworking teacher explained that you need to pith certain branches before they can be shaped into pipe stems.
木工老師解釋說，某些樹枝必須先去除莖髓才能加工成煙斗的斗柄。
The gardener spent the afternoon pithing sunflower stalks, preparing them for the dried-flower display his mother had asked for.
那位園丁花了一整個下午去除向日葵莖的莖髓，為他母親要求的乾燥花展示做準備。
Traditional flute makers still pith bamboo by hand, a skill that takes years to master properly.
傳統笛子工匠至今仍以手工去除竹子的莖髓，這項技術需要多年才能熟練掌握。
- core
as a verb, means to remove the central part of a fruit such as an apple; does not apply to plant stems
- hollow out
broader; means to make empty inside, not necessarily removing only the central tissue
文法句型
pith + plant stem