Old English bærlice "openly, clear, public;" see bare (adj.) + -ly (2). Meaning "only, just" is recorded from late 15c.; that of "merely, simply" is from 1570s. In 15c. it also could mean "naked."
权威例句
1. Dave pulled a back muscle and could barely kick the ball.
戴夫背部拉伤,几乎没法踢球。
2. There was barely time for the two boys to escape unseen.
两个男孩想趁人不备偷偷溜走几乎是来不及的。
3. The commission had barely begun to make a dent in the problem.
委员会几乎还没有在这个问题上取得任何进展。
4. Barely had the bulldozers started when Museum of London archaeologists swooped.
推土机刚一启动,伦敦博物馆的考古学家们就蜂拥而至了。
5. Mother was of very small stature, barely five feet tall.