Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ADJURE

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explore the archives: Adjure is a solemn, serious word. Like these others: 1.  He___a: a journey to escape something. 2. He___ony: the power, control, and dominance that one group has over all others. 3. O___ous: weighing you down with a difficult, heavy burden. make your point with... "ADJURE" To adjure people, or to adjure people to do something, is to tell (or ask) them to do something, in a very serious and sincere way. In other words, you're adjuring people when you're being very serious and earnest as you're commanding them to do something or begging them to do something. Pronunciation: A few ways are correct. I prefer "ad JURE." You know how some people say "pure" in one syllable, "pyure," while others say it in two syllables, "pyoo er"? The same thing can happen with "adjure," so you might say it in two syllables like I do ("ad JURE") or in three ("ad JOO er"). Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you adjure someone.) Other forms: adjured, adjuring, adjuration(s) or adjurement(s), adjuratory Why it looks like "jury" and other legal words: They share a root. "Adjure" originally meant "to bind someone under oath," which is exactly what happens to members of a jury: they take an oath to do their job of deciding whether someone is guilty based only on the evidence they're given. Today, adjuring people is similar to telling them they've got to swear under oath to do something. How to use it: Generally you adjure people to do things: a campaign manager adjures a candidate to be more cautious; we adjure teens to think twice before posting racy photos of themselves online. Save this word for very serious situations. While you might adjure children to be quiet during a funeral, for example, you wouldn't "adjure" children to be quiet while you're on the phone. You'd "tell" them. "Adjure" can also mean to exorcise an evil spirit. Since that meaning isn't too useful for everyday life, we won't focus on it. examples: In bold type, the summons adjures us to show up, on time, in appropriate business attire. Despite Professor Johnson's adjurations, students still skipped classes, ignored assignments, and then, hours before the final, begged for extra credit. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "adjure" means when you can explain it without saying "exhort" or "command." try it out: Think of someone or something that annoyed you by telling you what to do or demanding that you do something in a certain way. Fill in the blank: "I might have (done what I was told) if I weren't so irked by the request's adjuratory tone." Example: "I might have posted a Yelp review about them like they asked, if I weren't so irked by the request's adjuratory tone." 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 with anagrams: rearrangements of the letters in a word to form new words. (For example, “care” has two anagrams: “acre” and “race.”) Looking for these makes you a stronger player in other word games. But more importantly, it helps you practice thinking flexibly and methodically. Plus you get to giggle at potential non-words and discover new real words. We’ll work our way from shorter to longer anagrams. And at any point if you wonder why I left out a word you wanted to list, or why I included a word you think isn’t a real one, hold your fire: our authority for this game is ScrabbleWordFinder.org, which draws from a highly inclusive dictionary. Let’s play! From yesterday: What is the 1 anagram for DEPEND? Answer: PENDED, as in, "Their decision pended for weeks." Try this one today: What are the 3 anagrams for SHADES? review today's word: 1. The opposite of ADJURE is A. EMPOWER B. CONVENE C. FORBID 2. Advisers adjured him to ____. A. adjust his tie B. stand farther from the microphone C. tone down his inflammatory rhetoric Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C