To dam up
Definition
To dam, to stop, to dyke, or to bar the flow of a water body or a fluid by means of a physical obstacle (sluice gate, dam, levee); by extension or figuratively, it means to curb, to restrain, to put an end to, or to hold back a violent urge, a strong emotion, or a wave of social protests.
Bilingual Equivalents
- To dam up
- To curb
Grammatical & Source Details
| Inflection Type | Transitive verb, fourth conjugation, with regular vocalic and suffix changes within its present paradigm. |
| Formation | Archaic phonetic variant shaped by early folk prefixation and modifications of the base verb 'stăvili' (to dam). |
| Spelling / Pronunciation | [as.tə.ˈvi] |
| Source | Historical Dictionary of the Romanian Language and Morphological Variants |
Contextual Usage Examples
RO: Sătenii s-au adunat la râu cu saci de nisip pentru a astăvi viitura care amenința casele din vale.
EN: The villagers gathered at the river with sandbags to dam the flood that threatened the houses in the valley.
RO: Nu a mai putut să-și astăvească lacrimile când și-a văzut fiul întors acasă teafăr de la război.
EN: She could no longer hold back her tears when she saw her son returned home safe from the war.
RO: Domnitorul a trimis oșteni destoinici la graniță pentru a astăvi invazia oștilor străine.
EN: The ruler sent worthy warriors to the border to stem the invasion of foreign armies.
Idioms & Phrases
A astăvi apele / To dam the waters / To check the flow
RO: Acțiunea fizică de blocare a cursului unui râu pentru a preveni inundațiile sau pentru a construi un iaz piscicol.
EN: The physical action of blocking a river's course to prevent flooding or to build a fish pond.
A astăvi mânia / To curb one's anger / To restrain rage
RO: Efort psihologic conștient de auto-control prin care o persoană își calmează pornirile agresive într-un conflict.
EN: A conscious psychological effort of self-control through which a person calms their aggressive urges during a conflict.
Imposibil de astăvi / Unstoppable / Irrepressible
RO: Sens figurat sau propriu pentru forțe ale naturii sau mișcări sociale de masă care nu pot fi barate prin niciun mijloc.
EN: A figurative or literal sense for forces of nature or mass social movements that cannot be barred by any means.
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