uncouth: [OE] Uncouth originally meant ‘unknown’ or ‘unfamiliar’ – a sense which survived into the 17th century (‘Now the whole superficies of the earth as well uncouth as discovered, is but a little point’, John Boys, Works 1616). ‘Crude, awkward’ is a secondary development, first recorded in the 16th century. The word was formed in the prehistoric Germanic period from the prefix un- ‘not’ and the past participle of *kunnan ‘know’ (whose closest living English relative is could). => could
uncouth (adj.)
Old English uncuð "unknown, strange, unusual; uncertain, unfamiliar; unfriendly, unkind, rough," from un- (1) "not" + cuð "known, well-known," past participle of cunnan "to know" (see can (v.1)). Meaning "strange, crude, clumsy" is first recorded 1510s. The compound (and the thing it describes) widespread in IE languages, such as Latin ignorantem, Old Norse ukuðr, Gothic unkunþs, Sanskrit ajnatah, Armenian ancanaut', Greek agnotos, Old Irish ingnad "unknown."
中文解释
1. 以后由于人性中存在的一种对陌生人和外国人的厌恶的倾向使它的词义逐渐引申为如今的含义。2. couth 的原始含义也已废弃不用，而如今的含义是由 uncouth 逆构而成。3. couth 是古英语中 can 的过去分词，其本义为：known, have learned, be acquainted with. 后受到 uncouth 的那种对熟人与陌生人之间的偏见，而引申为：有教养的，文明的，文雅的，温文尔雅的。因为人都倾向于认为自己的人都是开化的、文明的、有教养的人，而外人、外邦、陌生人都是未开化的、不文明的、粗野的人。4. un- "not" + couth. 本义为：unknown, unfamiliar. 引申为：不文明的，粗鲁的，无教养的，不雅的。
实用例句
1. an uncouth young man
一个无教养的年轻人
来自《权威词典》
2. She may embarrass you with her uncouth behavior.
她的粗野行为可能会让你尴尬.
来自《简明英汉词典》
3. To a Japanese, spilling anything is uncouth.
对日本人来说, 泼溅任何东西都是不文明的.
来自《简明英汉词典》
4. People turned to look after him , so uncouth was his shambling figure.
“有什么用呢?"他想, "我已经全完了.我要摆脱这一切了.
来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
5. He made the most uncouth and clumsy gestures of delight.