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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BROOK

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connect today's word to others:

Here comes a nerdy reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ready? When you think of the formal verb brook, which means "to allow something, to put up with something," picture Gwendolyn Post, haughty and articulate in her cardigan, her sharp collar, and her pearls, as she says "I will not brook insolence or laziness."

Speaking of Buffy, see if you can recall the words that belong in these other sentences that I've shared before:

1. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer went on a seven-year od____y from a campy monster-of-the-week show to a meaningful series with season-long story arcs." (The bold word means "a journey that's long and often full of exciting and difficult things.")

2. "In a particularly creepy episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a monster called a Qu___er attacks anyone acting loud and crazy." (The bold word means "one who puts an end to something or gets it under control, often in a violent way.")

3. "As a young teenager, I was always updating my Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan site with r____ity." (The bold word means "a crazy extremeness or a furious intensity.")

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

make your point with...

"BROOK"

Centuries ago, to brook food meant to digest it, and to brook abstract material meant to digest it mentally: to absorb it in your mind.

Today, to brook something is to figuratively stomach it or digest it. That is, to brook things is to endure them, to allow them, to put up with them.
   
Pronunciation:
"BROOK," just like "brook" as in "a stream of water."

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 brook something.
Actually, you're more likely to refuse to brook something. More on that in a moment!)

Other forms:
brooked, brooking

How to use it:

Compared to synonyms like "tolerate" and "endure," the verb "brook" is so formal that it can sound stuffy. Save it for serious contexts.

We hardly ever talk about people who do brook things-- instead, we talk about people who won't, don't, can't, shouldn't, or wouldn't brook things, or about people who refuse to brook things.

So what is it that we refuse to brook? All kinds of bad, irritating, or threatening things. We refuse to brook compromise, debate, questioning, discussion, ambiguity, meddling, interference, rudeness, insolence, insults, indignities, dissent, opposition, hatred, violence, etc.

Finally, although it's usually people who won't brook things, it can also be words: "Her response brooked no misinterpretation." "His report brooked no ambiguity."

examples:

As a coach, he demands discipline and never brooks poor sportsmanship.

I never could be one of those strict, scowling teachers, the kind who brook no levity in the classroom, who circle each mistake with an angry red pen.

study it now:

Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "brook" means when you can explain it without saying "abide" or "withstand."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(In a certain time period or situation, or from a certain person), I learned to brook no _____."

Example: "From Fabian, the manager at my first retail job, I learned to brook no bullying from customers."

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.

Our game last month was "The Meanings of Maladies."

From our previous issue: The name of this syndrome, which causes severe disorientation, even hallucinations, and affects how people perceive the size and shape of their own bodies, comes from the title of a children's novel. What is it called?

Answer: Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. (If you guessed "Gulliver's Travels Syndrome," you were extremely close: the hallucinations the syndrome causes are called lilliputian.)

Now, a new game for May: "Bits & Pieces." This month, we'll play with affixes and combining forms, the bits and pieces of our language, matching them to their meanings. The more of these bits and pieces you know, the better you are at decoding unfamiliar words, which is sooo satisfying! I'll share the answers in each subsequent issue.

Try this set today. It's all about colors:

1. "chloro-" means _____.
2. "chrys-" means _____.
3. "melano-" means _____.
4. "leuco-" means _____.
5. "rhodo-" means _____.

   Answer bank:
      A. dark or black
      B. white
      C. red, pink, or rose
      D. gold or yellow
      E. green

review today's word:

1. A close opposite of BROOK is

A. ABSORB.
B. REJECT.
C. IGNORE.

2. He _____ his opponent _____.

A. accused .. of brooking wasteful expenditures
B. tricked .. into brooking the spottiness of his own voting record
C. confronted .. about brooking close friends into powerful positions

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. A

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