Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DUCTILE
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pronounce
DUCTILE:
Say it "DUCK tull." Or, if you prefer, "DUCK tile."
To hear it, click here.
Why the two different pronunciations? Generally, in a dictionary, the pronunciation you see listed first (here, "DUCK tull") is the older, original, and I hesitate to say, "correct" one, and the additional pronunciations are the newer ones that pop up, often because people read and say the words phonetically.
Compare "ductile" to "fertile" (said either "FUR tull" or "FUR tile") and "futile" (said either "FYOO tull" or "FYOO tile"). For all three of those words, the first pronunciation I've given is the one that people might consider more proper.
connect this word to others:
When I think of the word ductile, meaning "easy to shape," I think of Shel Silverstein's poem "Twistable Turnable Man." It's in a book of poetry for kids, with cartoon drawings and everything, so at first you think it's just about some silly cartoonish character:
He's the Twistable Turnable Squeezable Pullable
Stretchable Foldable Man.
He can crawl in your pocket or fit your locket
Or screw himself into a twenty-volt socket...
But toward the end of the poem, the man's ductility gets downright unsettling:
...Bendable Foldable
Do-what-you're-toldable
Easily moldable
Buy-what you're-soldable...
It gives me the shivers, and reminds me that ductility comes in degrees and can be taken to extremes.
I've used the word ductile to describe Silverstein's Twistable Turnable Man. But we could also use the two synonyms below to describe him. See if you can recall them:
1. Something p___ble is easy to bend. Figuratively, it's flexible, adaptable, easy to persuade, or easy to influence.
2. Something m_____ble is easy to bend into shape with a hammer. Figuratively, it's easily shaped or easily influenced.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
In Latin, ducere means "to lead," and ductilis means "able to be led, or able to be drawn out."
Ductilis came into English as "ductile." We use "ductile" literally to describe metals that are able to be hammered out into a thin shape, or able to be drawn out into a wire or a thread.
And we use it more generally to describe things that are easily shaped or easily molded.
And, we use it figuratively to describe things and people who are easily changed or easily influenced.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a ductile mixture of steel and concrete;" "Their minds were young and ductile."
Other forms:
The adverb is "ductilely."
The nouns are "ductibility" and "ductility."
how to use it:
"Ductile" is a semi-common word with a technical flavor.
You might use it literally and talk about ductile metals or other ductile materials, like wax or clay.
If you're using "ductile" to describe people and their minds, moods, and personalities--or to talk about things that are even more figurative, like a system of laws--then you're likely to sound pretty formal, even stuffy or old-fashioned. If that's not the tone you're going for, then a better choice might be "docile," "suggestible," "manipulable," or "pliable."
examples:
"His plan met with unexpected resistance from Lord Camden, who was usually so ductile."
— Lewis Wingfield, My Lords of Strogue, 1879
"Man is of a ductile nature—a creature of habit, and may almost habituate himself to anything."
— Anonymous, The Emigrant's Lost Son, 1860
has this page helped you understand "ductile"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "ductile" without saying "adaptable" or "yielding."
try it out:
In a novel, one of G. P. R. James's characters exclaims, "No good plan should ever be hurried, and it should always be formed of elements as ductile as warm wax, that it may fit itself into the mould of circumstances."
Talk about what he means. Could you give an example of a plan of yours that succeeded because it was "as ductile as warm wax"--or one that failed because it wasn't ductile?
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 "Codenames MYP." You can play it with a partner or by yourself. It's loosely based on the fantastic game Codenames Duet.
Check out the words in the grid. Ignore the colors; they're just the ones I had on hand.
If you’re playing with a partner, pick any 2 or 3 terms from the grid, and give your partner a one-word clue to help them guess your terms--without stumbling onto any that you didn't pick. Your partner can do the same for you. No hints! Just say your clue word and the number of terms it should point toward.
If you're playing solo, try to guess 3 terms in the grid by using this clue: "bang." To see these answers, scroll all the way down.
If you need any definitions, give these a click:
pinball, anteroom, barrage,
yoke, somersault, pigeonhole,
oubliette, gossamer, piñata.
review this word:
A. SLICK.
B. BRITTLE.
C. SQUISHY.
2.
James Huneker called Eugène Ysaÿe a "magician of the violin," holding listeners "in a spell with that _____, curving bow of his, with those _____ coloured tones... rich, and ductile."
A. elastic .. many
B. slender .. tensely
C. shimmering .. earthy
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.
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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.
When I think of the word ductile, meaning "easy to shape," I think of Shel Silverstein's poem "Twistable Turnable Man." It's in a book of poetry for kids, with cartoon drawings and everything, so at first you think it's just about some silly cartoonish character:
In Latin, ducere means "to lead," and ductilis means "able to be led, or able to be drawn out."
Part of speech:
"Ductile" is a semi-common word with a technical flavor.
"His plan met with unexpected resistance from Lord Camden, who was usually so ductile."
Explain the meaning of "ductile" without saying "adaptable" or "yielding."
In a novel, one of G. P. R. James's characters exclaims, "No good plan should ever be hurried, and it should always be formed of elements as ductile as warm wax, that it may fit itself into the mould of circumstances."
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.
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. |
