deplete
Significado: To use up or substantially reduce the quantity, supply, or reserves of a resource, leaving it dangerously low or exhausted.
Deplete implies a significant or harmful reduction rather than ordinary consumption. One depletes natural resources, financial reserves, or energy levels. The word carries an implicit warning — depleted reserves may not be recoverable. In environmental writing, 'depleted' and 'depletion' are standard terms for the exhaustion of fisheries, forests, ozone layers, and aquifers. The passive form 'depleted' often functions as an adjective, as in 'depleted uranium' or 'depleted stocks.'
Ejemplos
- Decades of overfishing have severely depleted cod stocks in the North Sea. 数十年的过度捕捞已严重耗竭了北海的鳕鱼资源。Décadas de sobrepesca han agotado gravemente las existencias de bacalao en el Mar del Norte.数十年にわたる乱獲が、北海のタラ資源を深刻に枯渇させた。수십 년간의 남획이 북해의 대구 자원을 심각하게 고갈시켰다.
- The charity warned that its emergency reserves had been depleted by the unprecedented demand for services during the winter. 该慈善机构警告说,冬季前所未有的服务需求已耗尽了其紧急储备。La organización benéfica advirtió de que sus reservas de emergencia se habían agotado debido a la demanda sin precedentes de servicios durante el invierno.慈善団体は、冬期における前例のないサービス需要により緊急備蓄が底をついたと警告した。자선 단체는 겨울 동안 전례 없는 서비스 수요로 인해 긴급 비축이 소진되었다고 경고했다.
- Intensive farming practices have depleted the soil of essential nutrients, reducing crop yields year on year. 集约化耕作方式已耗尽了土壤中的必需营养物质,导致作物产量逐年下降。Las prácticas agrícolas intensivas han agotado los nutrientes esenciales del suelo, reduciendo las cosechas año tras año.集約的農業が土壌の必須栄養素を枯渇させ、作物の収穫量を年々減少させている。집약적 농업 관행이 토양의 필수 영양소를 고갈시켜 해마다 작물 수확량을 감소시키고 있다.
Pronunciación
Guía de uso
Contexto: journalism, scientific, professional
Tono: negative
Origen e historia
From Latin deplere (to empty out), from de- (out, away) + plere (to fill). Entered English in the early 19th century, initially in medical usage referring to the reduction of bodily fluids.
Contexto cultural
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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