blight 復習

　船員の養成をする海技教育機構の練習船で、実習中の学生の自殺や失踪が相次いでいることが分かりました。

Training voyage blighted by suicide, other incidents in July

One candidate committed suicide, another attempted to take his own life by jumping off the ship at sea and a third went on the lam rather than continue a three-month voyage aboard a training vessel for would-be seafarers in July.

The incidents were disclosed Aug. 30 by the Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers headquartered in Yokohama. The agency oversees the Maritime Technical College, where some of the trainees study.

以下省略

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201708310052.html

　“blight”/blάɪt/を取り上げます。『ウィズダム英和辞典』を引いたところ、「〈前途・希望など〉をくじく、損なう；…を破壊する」とありました。また、LDOCEでは“to spoil or damage something, especially by preventing people from doing what they want to do”と定義されています。ちなみに、『ウィズダム英和辞典』の“blight”の項目では最初に名詞としての用法が載っており、「(植物の)病害；(植物に害を及ぼす)菌、害虫」とありました。(Blue Sky)