control
Definitions
To have power over something and direct how it behaves
控制；操纵；支配
To limit or hold something back
抑制；克制；管控
The power to direct or restrain something
控制权；掌控；管理
A switch or device that regulates a machine
（机器的）控制装置；操纵器
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Medieval Latin contra-rotulus, a 'counter-roll' — a duplicate register kept against (contra-) the original to check it for errors. To control the accounts meant to verify them against this counter-roll. The auditing routine grew into the modern idea of holding power over something. The 'rol' here is the same rotulus scroll behind role.
Root rot still carries 14 more wordsWhy It Means This
Control is the wheel root in disguise. It comes from contra-rotulus, the 'counter-roll' a medieval clerk kept to check accounts against. Controlling the books meant matching them against the duplicate roll to catch fraud or error. From that narrow bookkeeping act, the word expanded outward: first 'to check or verify,' then 'to keep in check,' and finally 'to have power over.' The scroll quietly became one of the most common verbs in English.
Usage Guide
- under control — being managed successfully: the fire is under control
- in control (of) — having power over: she's in control of the project
- out of control — no longer manageable: the costs spiraled out of control
- control over / control of — both used for the power sense; control over is more common with abstract things (control over your emotions)
Note: 'controls' (plural noun) usually means the operating switches of a machine or vehicle, not 'acts of controlling.'
Example Sentences
- 1.
Firefighters finally brought the blaze under control at dawn.
- 2.
She struggles to control her temper when she's tired.
- 3.
The pilot lost control of the aircraft for a few seconds.
- 4.
All the heating controls are on the panel by the door.