Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ALLEGIANT

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connect today's word to others: We use the noun allegiance, but how often do we use the adjective allegiant? (I mean, apart from talking about Allegiant Air, the airline, or Allegiant, the novel and movie.) Knowing all the alternate forms of a word helps us stay flexible as we express ideas. Let's practice: 1. Take "abrasion" and turn it into an adjective: "Chris's hyena-like laugh is rather abra____." 2. Take "habit" and turn it into an adjective: "Hab_____ shopping will make you broke." 3. Take "defend" and turn it into an opposite adjective: "We lose an __defe______ number of human lives every year because of improperly secured firearms in people's homes." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "ALLEGIANT" Most of us are more familiar with the noun, "allegiance," meaning "respect, support, devotion, and loyalty." ("Allegiance" comes from the word "liege." A liege was a feudal vassal: someone who served on a certain area of land, centuries ago.) Something allegiant, then, is respectful, supportive, devoted, and loyal to a certain thing or person. And, an allegiant is a person who's respectful, supportive, devoted, and loyal to a certain thing or person. Pronunciation: uh LEE junt Part of speech: First, it's an adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "an allegiant thing" or "an allegiant person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was allegiant." or "He was allegiant.") It's also a noun, the countable kind. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one allegiant or multiple allegiants.) Other forms: allegiance, allegiants Spelling note: Be sure to spell "allegiant" with the word "giant" inside--that is, end it with "-ant" and not "-ent." How to use it: You know how the word "loyal" has a positive tone? "Allegiant" can be positive, too, but it's a serious and formal word, and it often helps you emphasize how someone's loyalty is more about duty or obligation rather than free will or free thought. Talk about allegiant people, like allegiant fans and audiences, allegiant citizens and subjects, allegiant populations, and allegiant groups and crowds. Or, talk about allegiant thoughts, allegiant thanks or gratitude, allegiant devotion, etc. We often say someone is allegiant to some idea, person, or thing: he's allegiant to his home country, we're allegiant to our representatives in the Senate, she's allegiant to that custom, they're allegiant to this philosophy. Lastly, to use the noun "allegiant," simply call people "allegiants:" "these allegiants of the nation," "the Senator's allegiants," "those allegiants of the custom," "this philosophy's allegiants." examples: Since seeing how unkindly he can treat people online, we've been a bit less allegiant to Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Don't underestimate Stephen Colbert's allegiant fans; they once swamped an online poll to get a NASA space station named after him. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "allegiant" means when you can explain it without saying "staunch" or "unswerving." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "Despite _____, (someone) remains allegiant to _____." Example: "Despite the Bible's logical inconsistencies, Shepherd Book remains allegiant to it." 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. Subject Line Redux! You know how I fill the subject line of each Make Your Point email with a little comment about the word? Let's revisit some of those subject lines; they make a good study tool. That is, you'll improve your chances of recalling our words when you need them later if you do this now: look at the little comment from the subject line and use that to recall the word, its meaning, and how it connects to the little comment. (For more on active recall and how you can employ it to strengthen your vocabulary, please go here.) In each issue this month, I'll share a puzzle or other activity that prompts you to recall 5 previous words based on their subject lines. (To make your own activities like these, check out the fun and useful Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.) And I'll share the answers in the following issue. From our previous issue:  Answers: Try this today: review today's word: 1. One opposite of ALLEGIANT is A. LIBERAL. B. TRAITOROUS. C. INFINITESIMAL. 2. It's a struggle, maybe an impossibility, to be allegiant _____. A. in a world of scrupulous businesspeople B. the first few weeks of a new diet C. to both tradition and creativity 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. C