disarm
Definitions
To take weapons away from a person, group, or country; to give up or reduce armed forces.
解除（某人/某团体/某国）的武装；裁军，放下武器。
To make a weapon or bomb safe so it cannot go off.
拆除（炸弹）的引信，使武器失效。
To take away someone's hostility, suspicion, or anger, often by being charming or unexpectedly friendly.
消除（敌意、戒心、怒气），常指以魅力或意外的友善让人卸下防备。
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveddis- (reverse, remove) + arm (weapon) = to take the weapons away. The literal sense is military or technical (disarm a nation, disarm a bomb). The figurative sense keeps the same image: a disarming smile removes your defenses just as surely as taking away a soldier's sword.
Usage Guide
The figurative use is most often seen in the -ing adjective: a disarming smile, disarmingly honest. In politics, disarm and disarmament refer to reducing military weapons (nuclear disarmament).
Example Sentences
- 1.
The peace treaty required both sides to disarm completely.
- 2.
Experts worked for hours to disarm the explosive device.
- 3.
Her honesty disarmed even her harshest critics.
- 4.
He had a disarming way of admitting his own mistakes.