Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ALLEVIATE

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connect today's word to others: Our word alleviate comes from Latin and literally means "to lighten," as in, to lighten the load on your heart: if you alleviate something, such as stress or suffering, you make it lighter and easier to bear. So you can see why alleviate is closely related to the word relieve. And to the word lev___, meaning "lightness" as in "playfulness or humor." Because the same Latin word that means "to lighten" also means "to raise," alleviate is cousins with words for raising and lifting things: elevate and elevator, levitate, lever, and levee, and, if you'll join me on a bizarre little side trip, carnival, which literally means "raising the flesh or meat"--apparently something we did for celebrations. Finally, getting back to alleviate, let's distinguish it from three synonyms we've studied: 1. A__ay.   Here's the similarity: whether you're alleviating things or a__aying things, you're soothing them and making them less intense. And here's the difference: alleviating things just starts to make them better, as if a burden has become less heavy, whereas a__aying things makes them a lot better, as if the burden has been removed entirely, laid aside. 2. P___iate.   Alleviating things makes them better, genuinely. P___iating things can genuinely make them better, but sometimes it just cloaks how bad they are. (The word p___iate is based on the Latin word for "cloak.") 3. M____gate.   Alleviating things makes them easier to bear by making them lighter, while m____gating things makes them easier to bear by making them softer or gentler. (We studied that word in the context of its opposite, unm____gated, meaning "just as bad, hostile, or troublesome as it can possibly be.") (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "ALLEVIATE" To alleviate something bad is to ease it, making it lighter or less intense. Pronunciation: uh LEE vee ate 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 alleviate something.) Other common forms: alleviated, alleviating, alleviation How to use it: "Alleviate" has a positive tone, because we alleviate negative things (meaning we lighten, relieve, or ease them). Talk about people, words, actions, and things that alleviate stress, strain, suffering, pain, symptoms, diseases, difficulty, pressure, tension, burdens, worries, concerns, etc. (If you talk about alleviating concerns, be sure you mean that the concerns are made lighter; if you mean instead that those concerns are completely put to rest, then instead, talk about allaying them.) You can also talk about alleviating specific problems and problematic situations, like shortages, unemployment, overcrowding, traffic congestion, and so on. Let's touch once more on the point that alleviating something doesn't make it go away entirely: you probably don't want to say "alleviate the need for something" or "alleviate the possibility of something." In those cases, the word you want is probably "eliminate" or "obviate." examples: He's not sure whether to thank the new supplements or his natural healing powers for alleviating the pain and tingling in his arm. Regardless, he's grateful. I could probably alleviate the stress of my rushed mornings if I'd just set my alarm for fifteen minutes earlier, but, well, I'm lazy. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "alleviate" means when you can explain it without saying "ease" or "lighten." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "_____ (always alleviates, or would alleviate) _____." Example 1: "A frozen Coke always alleviates his tension." Example 2: "The proposed addition of two lanes would alleviate congestion along the main route into the city." 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:  Designed by Cristyn Magnus, this game has players taking on the role of merchants, competing to develop the local community and buy their way into the nobility. The game's title means "a person who is very important and distinguished, usually in the world of business." It's pictured below, with the title blurred out. What game is this? Answer: Magnate. Check out the game here and the word here. Try this today:  Designed 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? review today's word: 1. The opposite of ALLEVIATE is A. AGGRAVATE. B. ARRIVE. C. PAY. 2. Understanding that the full _____ isn't within their grasp, they settle for its alleviation. A. complement of human rights B. elimination of childhood hunger C. mystery of the origin of the universe 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. A 2. B