veteran: [16] Veteran comes via French vétéran from Latin veterānus ‘old’. This was a derivative of vetus ‘old’, which is the ancestor of French vieux, Italian vecchio, and Spanish viejo. It went back ultimately to Indo-European *wetus- (source also of Latvian vecs ‘old’). This may be related to Greek étos ‘year’, in which case ‘old’ could derive from an ancestral meaning ‘full of years’.
veteran (n.)
c. 1500, "old experienced soldier," from French vétéran, from Latin veteranus "old, aged, that has been long in use," especially of soldiers; as a plural noun, "old soldiers," from vetus (genitive veteris) "old, aged, advanced in years; of a former time," as a plural noun, vetores, "men of old, forefathers," from PIE *wet-es-, from root *wet- (2) "year" (cognates: Sanskrit vatsa- "year," Greek etos "year," Hittite witish "year," Old Church Slavonic vetuchu "old," Old Lithuanian vetušas "old, aged;" and compare wether). Latin vetus also is the ultimate source of Italian vecchio, French vieux, Spanish viejo. General sense of "one who has seen long service in any office or position" is attested from 1590s. The adjective first recorded 1610s.
实用例句
1. He is a veteran parliamentarian whose views enjoy widespread respect.
他是个资深议员，其观点受到广泛尊重。
来自柯林斯例句
2. It is understood that the veteran reporter had a heart attack.
据悉，那位资深记者心脏病发作。
来自柯林斯例句
3. the veteran British actor, Sir Richard Attenborough
英国资深演员理查德∙阿滕伯勒爵士
来自《权威词典》
4. My grandfather is a veteran of the Second World War.
