monitor的词源

英文词源

monitor: monitor: see monster
monitor (n.): 1540s, "senior pupil at a school charged with keeping order, etc.," from Latin monitor "one who reminds, admonishes, or checks," also "an overseer, instructor, guide, teacher," agent noun from monere "to admonish, warn, advise," related to memini "I remember, I am mindful of," and to mens "mind," from PIE root *men- "to think" (see mind (n.)).

The type of lizard so called because it is supposed to give warning of crocodiles (1826). Meaning "squat, slow-moving type of ironclad warship" (1862) so called from name of the first vessel of this design, chosen by the inventor, Swedish-born U.S. engineer John Ericsson (1803-1889), because it was meant to "admonish" the Confederate leaders in the U.S. Civil War. Broadcasting sense of "a device to continuously check on the technical quality of a transmission" (1931) led to special sense of "a TV screen displaying the picture from a particular camera."
monitor (v.): 1818, "to guide;" 1924, "to check for quality" (originally especially of radio signals), from monitor (n.). General sense from 1944. Related: Monitored; monitoring.

来自拉丁语monere,警告，提醒，监视，使记忆，来自PIE*men,思考，考虑，思想，记忆，词源同mania,comment,mind.引申词义学长，班长，监督员等，后也用于指显示屏，监视器等。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：monitor 词源，monitor 含义。

看同根词monster（怪物），最初指“神的警告”，词根mon表“警告”。我觉得解释为“警醒”更贴切，“怪物”的存在警醒你处境的危险。同样，“监视器”的存在警醒你不要不守纪律，有人在看你；老师不能整天呆在教室里，得找个学生当个监视器啊，就是班长了。