タオル
解説 Definition
towel は、体や物の水分をふくための「タオル」という意味です。日本語の「タオル」とほぼ同じで、bath towel や hand towel のように種類を表す語と一緒にも使います。
A towel is a piece of absorbent cloth or similar material used to dry a person, an object, or a surface. Different sizes and purposes are indicated in expressions such as “bath towel” and “hand towel.”
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
日本語の「タオル」は英語 towel から入った語なので、意味はほぼ同じです。ただし発音は日本語読みではなく /ˈtaʊəl/ で、先頭は town の tow と同じ二重母音です。clean towel、wet towel、dry ～ with a towel の三つを、入浴後や手洗い後の場面と結びつけて覚えましょう。
Japanese learners already know タオル, which was borrowed from English, so focus on the English sound and its common patterns. Towel is pronounced /ˈtaʊəl/, with the first part sounding like the vowel in town, not like the Japanese タ. Imagine washing your hands, picking up a clean towel, and drying them with it. Learn the useful combinations clean towel, wet towel, bath towel, and hand towel. Also notice the standard tool pattern “dry something with a towel,” where with introduces what is used for drying.
例文
I need a clean towel.
きれいなタオルが必要です。
Please put the wet towel here.
ぬれたタオルをここに置いてください。
She dried her hands with a towel.
彼女はタオルで手をふきました。
towel の語源・成り立ち Etymology
古フランス語 toaille（洗い布）からの借用で、さらにゲルマン祖語 *þwahlijō（洗うための布）に遡る。語根は *þwahan（洗う）。関連語: なし（独自の語系）。「体を洗った後に使う布」が原義で、日本語のタオルもここから来ている。
English towel was borrowed through Old French toaille, a word for cloth used in washing. The French word ultimately belongs to a Germanic word family connected with washing and with cloth used for that purpose. The modern form therefore preserves the practical association between washing and drying cloth. Japanese タオル was later borrowed from the English word, which explains the close match in meaning.
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