ebb tide:退潮;落潮(潮水从岸边向海里回落的阶段)。也常引申指“衰落期、低潮期”。
/ˈeb taɪd/
The fishing boats returned during the ebb tide.
渔船在退潮时返航。
At the ebb tide of his career, he found comfort in writing and began again with quiet determination.
在他事业的低潮期,他从写作中获得慰藉,并以沉静的决心重新开始。
ebb 源自古英语 ebba,意为“退去、回落”(常指潮水退去);tide 源自古英语 tīd,原本有“时间、时节”的意思,后来也特指“潮汐”。两词组合后字面义即“潮水回落的那一段潮”。