put a to sleep
意味一覧 (2件)
眠らせる
解説 Definition
「Aを睡眠状態に置く」という結果に焦点がある慣用表現。人・動物・患者などを、声かけや薬、麻酔によって意識のない穏やかな状態へ移す場面で使う。日常の寝かしつけより、状態変化をまとめて言う響きが強い。
"Put A to sleep" means to cause a person or animal to enter a sleeping or unconscious state. It focuses on the result of moving someone into that calm state, often by soothing them, giving medicine, or using anesthesia. It sounds broader and more result-focused than simply helping someone fall asleep in an everyday way, and in some contexts it can also be a gentle way to talk about euthanasia.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
put は「置く」から「ある状態にする」へ広がる動詞で、to sleep は到達点を示します。put A to sleep は「Aを眠りという状態に置く」と捉えると自然です。lull, sedate, anesthetize などの具体動作を一語でまとめる表現で、目的語や周囲の語によって家庭・医療・動物の場面に振れます。安楽死の義は、この穏やかな言い方がさらに婉曲化したものです。
Think of "put" as "place into a state," not only "place somewhere." So "put A to sleep" means "move A into the state of sleep." It can cover many specific actions, such as soothing, sedating, or anesthetizing, depending on the object and the situation. In some contexts, the gentle tone of the phrase also extends to the meaning of euthanasia.
例文
She sang softly to put the baby to sleep.
彼女は赤ちゃんを眠らせるためにやさしく歌った。
The doctor put the patient to sleep before the operation began.
医師は手術が始まる前に患者を眠らせた。
They had to put the old dog to sleep because it was suffering badly.
その老犬はひどく苦しんでいたので、眠らせることになった。
安楽死させる
(意味 2)解説 Definition
苦痛を終わらせるため、特に重い病気やけがをした動物を安楽死させる婉曲表現。直訳の「眠らせる」よりも死を直接言わない配慮があり、獣医・飼い主・末期状態などの文脈で、つらい決断を穏やかに述べる時に使う。
"Put a to sleep" here means to kill an animal or person painlessly, usually to end suffering. It is a softer, indirect expression often used by vets or pet owners. In many contexts, it especially refers to euthanizing a sick or old animal.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
この義では sleep が普通の睡眠ではなく、「苦しみのない静かな終わり」をやわらかく指します。vet, old dog, terminal, suffering, pain などが近くにあれば、寝かしつけや麻酔ではなく安楽死の意味を疑います。euthanize は専門的で直接的ですが、put A to sleep は飼い主への説明や会話で感情的負担を和らげる言い方です。元の「眠らせる」から死の婉曲表現へ広がった用法です。
The basic picture is simple: you make someone "go to sleep." But with animals, this can be a gentle way to talk about ending suffering, especially near words like `vet` or `suffering`. That makes it different from `sedate`, which can be only temporary.
例文
The vet had to put the injured dog to sleep to end its suffering.
獣医は傷ついた犬の苦しみを終わらせるために安楽死させるしかなかった。
Before the surgery, they put the child to sleep with a mild anesthetic.
手術前に子どもは軽い麻酔で眠らされた。
put a to sleep の語源・成り立ち Etymology
put は古英語 putian 系の「押す・置く」、sleep は古英語 slæp「眠り」に由来する。直訳の「眠りの状態に置く」から、寝かしつけや麻酔で眠らせる意味になった。
The verb "put" comes from an Old English form related to pushing or placing, and "sleep" comes from Old English "slæp," meaning "sleep." The phrase developed from the literal idea of placing someone into a state of sleep, and later came to include meanings such as sedation and anesthesia.
外部辞書で調べる
この単語を英単語クイズで覚えよう