Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BOEOTIAN
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connect today's word to others:
You can spell our word as "Boeotian," or, if you love some snobby-looking fused vowels, "Bœotian."
You can do the same with another word we've checked out that also comes from ancient Greece: "aegis," or "ægis." Can you explain what it means to be under someone's aegis?
make your point with...
"BOEOTIAN"
"Bœotia" takes its name from the Greek word for "ox or cow," bous. It was a rural district in ancient Greece where the citizens seemed--at least to the Athenians--perhaps as stupid and uncultured as their cows. The climate in Bœotia was torpid (still, dull, and sluggish), and the Athenians figured that this climate made the Bœotians torpid, too.
So, if you call people or things Boeotian, you might mean that they're literally from Bœotia, or you might mean they're dull, stupid, simple, and uncultured.
Pronunciation:
be OH shun
Part of speech:
Both an adjective ("they're so Boeotian")
and a noun ("they're such Boeotians").
This word a proper adjective and a proper noun: you always capitalize it.
Other common forms:
Just the plural, "Boeotians."
How to use it:
This word is snobby and mean. I recommend knowing it and using it only for humor, flavor, and maybe self-deprecation--not for insulting other people, especially if you suspect they won't know what it means.
You might talk about Boeotian people, Boeotian heads or minds, Boeotian simplicity, Boeotian lives and lifestyles, etc.
If you say people have Boeotian ears, you mean their ears are "deaf" to the beauty of fine music or fine literature.
examples:
Even with my Boeotian ears, I enjoy Taylor's episodes of Little Einsteins. It's that Disney cartoon that teaches kids the tunes to classical pieces.
It's so hilarious when I can't win that triangular peg game at Cracker Barrel and then it informs me how Boeotian I am: "LEAVE FOUR [PEGS] OR MOR'N YOU'RE JUST PLAIN 'EG-NO-RA-MOOSE.'"
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "Boeotian" means when you can explain it without saying "dim-witted" or "unintellectual."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "Some people treat (a certain place) as if it's the Boeotia of (a larger region)."
Example: "Some people treat Alabama as if it's the Boeotia of the US."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
This month, we're playing "Game of Games!" Guess the one-word title of each board game, using your knowledge of vocabulary.
From our previous issue:
Desig
ned by Bruno Cathala and Charles Chevallier, this game has players fighting for power deep in an underwater city. The game's title means "a hole (or an emptiness) that's infinitely large." It's pictured below, with the title blurred out. What game is this?
Answer: Abyss. Check out the game here and the word here.
Try this today:
Designed by Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert, and set in mythic Greece, this game has players competing for the favor of Olympian gods. The game's title means "a place or situation that's so perfect and happy that it reminds you of the blissful afterlife from Greek mythology." It's pictured below, with the title blurred out. What game is this?
review today's word:
1. The opposite of BOEOTIAN is
A. KIND.
B. GENTEEL.
C. HAUGHTY.
2. Taking a swipe at "Boeotian writers," Henry Fielding promises that, in telling us a story, he would never _____.
A. "sour [our] temper" with an unjust ending
B. leave our brains with "nothing to do," nothing to judge, nothing to reflect on
C. subject us to a flowery, "orchidaceous" word when a plain one would suffice
Answers are below.
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. B
2. B
You can spell our word as "Boeotian," or, if you love some snobby-looking fused vowels, "Bœotian."
"BOEOTIAN"
"Bœotia" takes its name from the Greek word for "ox or cow," bous. It was a rural district in ancient Greece where the citizens seemed--at least to the Athenians--perhaps as stupid and uncultured as their cows. The climate in Bœotia was torpid (still, dull, and sluggish), and the Athenians figured that this climate made the Bœotians torpid, too. Part of speech: Other common forms:
Even with my Boeotian ears, I enjoy Taylor's episodes of Little Einsteins. It's that Disney cartoon that teaches kids the tunes to classical pieces.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "Boeotian" means when you can explain it without saying "dim-witted" or "unintellectual."
Fill in the blanks: "Some people treat (a certain place) as if it's the Boeotia of (a larger region)."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
Answer: Abyss. Check out the game here and the word here.
Try this today:
1. The opposite of BOEOTIAN is
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |