Mysteries of vernacular: Quarantine - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

词源揭秘：Quarantine — 杰茜卡·奥列克和雷切尔·蒂尔

翻译人员: Yixiong Zhu 校对人员: Geoff Chen

Mysteries of vernacular:

词源揭秘：

Quarantine,

“Quarantine（隔离）”，

a state, period, or place of strict isolation

一种隔绝的状态、时期，或者地点，

meant to prevent the spread of disease.

用于避免疾病传播。

In the 14th century,

在14世纪，

the Bubonic Plague,

腺鼠疫，

later called "The Black Death,"

也就是后来所称的“黑死病”，

spread across Europe

在欧洲肆虐，

with devastating consequences.

惨绝人寰。

It's been estimated

人们估计

that the Plague decimated at least one-third

黑死病消灭了欧洲

of Europe's population.

至少三分之一的人口。

In a vain effort to stave off infection,

作为一种防止感染的绝望措施，

the Italian-speaking port city of Ragusa,

讲意大利语的海港城市拉古萨，

in what is now Croatia,

也就是如今的克罗地亚，

mandated that ships arriving

要求来自感染地带的

from Plague-infested areas

到港船只

remain isolated on the water

在水上进行隔离，

until it was deemed likely

直到被判断为

that they weren't carrying a disease.

不太可能载有疾病。

This meant that the entire contents of a ship

这意味着整艘船的货物

and all of its passengers

和所有乘客

were often forced to remain on board

都经常被强制滞留在船上，

for five or six weeks before being let ashore.

过5到6个星期后才被允许上岸。

Though the drastic measure

尽管这一极端措施

was only marginally successful,

效果有限，

it wasn't long before other port cities followed suit.

很快其他港口城市还是竞相效仿。

In 1397, the official period of isolation

1397年，针对船只和船员

imposed on ships and crews

的官方隔离期限

was set at forty days.

是40天。

Although it did little to protect ports from infection,

尽管这么做并没有怎么保证港口不受感染，

the directive stuck.

该政策还是继续了下去。

From the Italian word quaranta,

来自意大利语“quaranta”，

meaning forty,

意思是40，

this period of stasis was given the name

这段隔离的期限被叫做

quarantine.

“quarantine”。

And by the mid 1600s,

等到了17世纪中期，

the word quarantine was being used

“quarantine”一次被用于

to describe any place,

描述各种地点、

period,

期限，

or state of isolation,

和状态的隔离，

plague-related or not.

不论有无疫病。