Make Your Point: CALIBER

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pronounce CALIBER:

CAL ih bur

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

Our words caliber and calibrate might trace back to Medieval Latin phrase qua libra, meaning "of what weight."

So, they might be related to words about measurement, like quantity and quanti______ (meaning "able to be counted or measured;" can you recall that one?); as well as words about weights or balance, like equilibrium and deliberate.

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

definition:

"Caliber" traces back through French to Arabic or Latin. (We're not sure which one.)

In English, "caliber" (spelled "calibre" in many countries) first meant "the particular diameter of a bullet, a cannonball, or a gun."

Over time, probably because the size of a weapon speaks to its quality or power, the word "caliber" took on a figurative meaning. Today, when you say that a person or thing has a certain caliber, you mean it has a certain level of skill, ability, quality, or excellence.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the countable kind; most often used in the singular: "They need to hire an engineer of the right caliber;" "They're playing against a team with a higher caliber;" "There aren't many others of her caliber."

Other forms:

None are common except for hyphenations, which we'll check out below.

You could think of the verb "calibrate" as a form of "caliber." (But the meaning is quite different, which is why we explore it in its own issue.)

how to use it:

Although it's common to use "caliber" to talk literally about weapons, we'll focus instead on the metaphorical kind of caliber.

In that sense, "caliber" is a clear, common, formal word that's perfect for describing skilled people and excellent things.

For example, you might label someone a student of the highest caliber. If not a student, then an athlete, a musician, a programmer, a journalist, etc.

Feel free to use hyphenations: label people and things as "high-caliber," "top-caliber," "low-caliber," "championship-caliber," "Olympic-caliber" and so on.

Now, you might argue that the word "caliber," used generally in this way, is inherently violent. It does equate power and efficacy with weaponry. So if you like to purge your language of unnecessary violence, avoid "caliber," and instead talk about people's "rank," "ability," "excellence," "talent," "stature," or "faculty."

examples:

"Bobby won his first two games but as the tournament wore on he lost to some players and drew with several others well below his caliber."
— Frank Brady, Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall, 2011

"Inigo shook his head. It was a shame that such a fellow must die, but he had his orders, so there it was. Sometimes he did not like the Sicilian's commands, but what could he do? Without the brains of the Sicilian, he, Inigo, would never be able to command jobs of this caliber."
— William Goldman, The Princess Bride, 1973

has this page helped you understand "caliber"?

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 "caliber" without saying "quality" or "worth."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Athletes, writers, musicians, chess players, or some other type of skilled people) of a certain caliber have always been (drawn to, fascinated by, or interested in) (something)."

Example 1: "Cruciverbalists of a certain caliber have always been drawn to the Saturday puzzles in the New York Times."

Example 2: "Wizards of a certain caliber have always been drawn to that [evil] aspect of magic."
— J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005

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 for April: Interpret the Titles!

I'll give you the title of some book, movie, or other creation, along with a summary, and I'll challenge you to interpret the title in three different ways.

For examples, and some tips if you get stuck, head here!

Try this one today: The Light at Tern Rock is a 1951 novel by Julia L. Sauer. Here's a summary from the publisher: "Will Ronnie have to spend Christmas stranded in a lighthouse? Ronnie and his aunt are tending the Tern Rock lighthouse for two weeks while its keeper takes a much-needed vacation. Ronnie learns to love the slap of the waves against the rock, sleeping in a bunk, climbing the winding staircase, and lighting the great lamp each night... But the days go by, and the lighthouse keeper doesn't return to take them home." Midway through the book, as Ronnie grows lonely and bored, his aunt tells him, "There've been wrecks, horrible wrecks, on this ledge. I've seen three myself, and many's the good ship that piled on these rocks in the old days before the Light was built. Lighthouses, Ronnie, are like a helping hand reaching out from Heaven itself. And the tending of them is good work—good."

1. It's titled The Light at Tern Rock because... ?

2. It's titled The Light at Tern Rock because... ?

3. It's titled The Light at Tern Rock because... ?

To see some possible answers, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of HIGH-CALIBER is LOW-CALIBER, but some pretty close opposites of HIGH-CALIBER are

A. QUIET and SOOTHING.
B. LOW-KEY and SUBDUED.
C. FLEDGLING and INCOMPETENT.

2. If you've driven a Dodge Caliber, used the strength-training app Caliber, or purchased a used luxury watch from Crown & Caliber, then a company has sold you on the idea of strength, power, and excellence, with the underlying metaphor being _____.

A. a gun
B. a lion
C. a rocket

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.

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