Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BENEDICTION

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pronounce BENEDICTION: Say it "BEN ih DICK shun." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: You may have noticed that the name Benedict is Latin for "blessed," or more literally, "spoken well of," and that a benediction is the speaking of a blessing or a prayer. That word benediction has a perfect opposite: ___diction, meaning a curse, or a nasty thing said about someone. Can you recall it? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: "Benediction" comes from a Latin phrase meaning "a speaking well of (someone)." A benediction is a prayer, or the act of saying a prayer. It can also be a kind wish for someone else's success or happiness, or the action of expressing a wish like this. It can even be someone's "blessing" in the sense that they're essentially saying "Yes, I think you should (do something)." And, it can be a "blessing" in the sense of grace, good luck, or good fortune, the kind that seems to have come from a prayer (or from being on some god's good side). grammatical bits: Part of speech: Noun, both the countable kind ("It's a benediction;" "These are the benedictions") and the uncountable kind ("It offers benediction"). Other forms worth knowing:  The plural is "benedictions." There are adjectives aplenty, so take your pick: "benedictive," benedictional," "benedictory," and the funny "benedictionary." And there's an adverb, "benedictionally." Lastly, there's interjection, meaning "Bless you!" It's "Benedicite!" (Say this "BEN uh DIE sit ee.") Check it out, from Romeo and Juliet: Romeo: Good morrow, Father. Friar Laurence: Benedicite! What early tongue so sweet saluteth me? how to use it: "Benediction" is a formal, semi-common word, with a serious, positive, churchy tone. Someone can say or give a benediction, sometimes over someone else, or over a meal. For example, you might open or close some formal gathering with a benediction.  You might interpret something as a benediction, or talk about someone (or something) that seems to bring or grant you benediction. Here's Shakespeare: "As if my Trinkets had beene hallowed, and brought a benediction to the buyer." examples: "In a new episode, he solemnly tells Bear, 'Carry on, my wayward son, there’ll be peace when you are done,' a benediction from the classic rock band Kansas."    — James Poniewozik, New York Times, 1 August 2022 "'There is nothing now for us behind,' said Dr. Trefusis. 'So we must go forward.' With this benediction, abruptly, he set off running."    — M. T. Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1, 2006 has this page helped you understand "benediction"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "benediction" without saying "a kind prayer" or "a well-wishing." try it out: Let's use this word figuratively! Describe something beautiful in art, music, or nature that seems to provide benediction: that is, it seems to provide a moment of holy peace, grace, or luck. Example 1: "Charleston can be unbearably hot, but on that day, cool breezes blew gently, like a benediction." Example 2: "Turner heard [the whales] ripping the surface all around him, and felt the diamond spray sprinkle down on him in the moonlight like a benediction."    — Gary D. Schmidt, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, 2004 Example 3: "The sun which, as it sank lower, seemed to spread itself in benediction over the vanishing city."    — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925 Example 4: "Vincent's paintings are beautiful. He lives color, offers it to the canvas, to the world. He has captured the sun, given a blessing to the world, a benediction of color."    — Deborah Heiligman, Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers, 2017 If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game this month is Apt Adjective Anagrams! I'll invent a person's name and a brief description, and you unscramble the letters in their name to form an adjective that aptly describes the person or the person's situation. For example: Carl Rebe has three advanced degrees. You rearrange the letters in "Carl Rebe" to form the adjective "cerebral," meaning "brainy, smart, or intellectual.” Sentimental movies always bring Martin Devesto to tears? He’s demonstrative. Lilian Tulip is dainty in the extreme? She’s lilliputian. Tia Fauns runs a sweatshop and is filthy rich? Perhaps she made a bargain with the devil, because her lifestyle is Faustian. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Try this one today: You get the shivers, as if someone's watching you. You turn around and it's Simon Ou, who whispers, "It's not safe for you here." review this word: 1. The precise opposite of a BENEDICTION is a MALEDICTION. But a pretty close opposite of a BENEDICTION is A. a CURSE. B. a SOLUTION. C. a SOLECISM (a grammatical mistake). 2. From the writers of the Onion, "Benediction/Holmes-Morgan" is a fictional public-relations agency, appropriately named and headed up by _____. A. your mom B. the Lord C. Voldemort Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B Answer to the game question: That guy is ominous! a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A 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.