ivory tower

名词 n. 形容词 adj.
/ˈaɪvəɹi ˈtaʊə/    /ˈaɪvəɹi ˈtaʊɚ/

英文释义

名词 n.
  1. A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations. idiomatic
    — Such a proposal looks fine from an ivory tower, but it could never work in real life.
形容词 adj.
  1. Separated from reality and practical matters; overly academic.
    — The majority of librarians appear to have shown a very ivory tower approach to the application of all types of management technique to librarianship.

词形变化

ivory towers plural more ivory tower comparative most ivory tower superlative

词源

词源 1
Calque of French tour d'ivoire, based on a biblical phrase, coined by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve to compare the poet Alfred de Vigny (more isolated) with Victor Hugo (more socially engaged).
First attested in English in a translation of Laughter by French philosopher Henri Bergson (1911). The term was popularized in The Ivory Tower (1917) by Henry James, though used in different sense (millionaires, not professors).
词源 2
Calque of French tour d'ivoire, based on a biblical phrase, coined by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve to compare the poet Alfred de Vigny (more isolated) with Victor Hugo (more socially engaged).
First attested in English in a translation of Laughter by French philosopher Henri Bergson (1911). The term was popularized in The Ivory Tower (1917) by Henry James, though used in different sense (millionaires, not professors).
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