court 的語(yǔ)義經(jīng)歷了從“庭院”到“法院”的變化過(guò)程。court最初的意思是space enclosed by walls or buildings，相當(dāng)于“院子”或“庭院”?，F(xiàn)在人們經(jīng)常用courtyard代替court，表示“庭院”。例如： In the middle of the courtyard, there is a tall tree that provides shade for people. 在庭院中間，有一棵大樹(shù)，給人們提供蔭涼。court的第二個(gè)意思是enclosed quadrangular area, open or covered, for games，即“體育運(yùn)動(dòng)場(chǎng)地”。例如：basketball court(籃球場(chǎng))，half court(半場(chǎng))。grass court(草地球場(chǎng))。court 既是平民百姓生活的地方，又是皇家王室的住所。court 的第三個(gè)意思是sovereigns residence and his establishment，即“宮廷”或“朝廷”，或指宮殿，或指王室全體成員。例如：The court of King Solomon was noted for its splendor. (所羅門國(guó)王的宮廷以其華麗著稱。) The court moves to the country in the summer. (夏天，王室全體成員都搬到鄉(xiāng)下去住。)君主具有最高權(quán)力，說(shuō)話是“金科玉律”。court原是君主發(fā)號(hào)施令的地方，后來(lái)專指審判機(jī)關(guān)。court 的第四個(gè)意思是place or hall in which justice is administered，即“法院”或“法庭”，或指審判機(jī)關(guān)，或指審判地點(diǎn)，或指法官。如：There isnt enough evidence to bring the case to court. (證據(jù)不足，不能將此案送交法庭。) The defendant will appear in court next Monday. (被告在下周一將出庭。) The court found him guilty. (法官認(rèn)定他有罪。)

下面是幾個(gè)容易混淆的國(guó)際司法機(jī)構(gòu)。The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations.國(guó)際法院(也稱國(guó)際法庭)，是聯(lián)合國(guó)的主要司法機(jī)構(gòu)。The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity,war crimes,and the crime of aggression.國(guó)際刑事法院是一個(gè)永久性特別法庭，審理犯有種族滅絕罪、反人類罪、戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)罪和侵略罪的個(gè)人。The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY, for short) is a United Nations court of law dealing with war crimes that took place during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.前南斯拉夫國(guó)際刑事法庭 (縮寫(xiě)為ICTY)是聯(lián)合國(guó)審理90年代在前南地區(qū)沖突中發(fā)生的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)罪行的法庭?！?/p>

（本欄目供稿：王逢鑫教授）