Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ENAMOR
Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.
explore the archives:
You can see amor, Old French for "love," inside enamor, meaning "to fill with love; to inspire with feelings of love." So when you're charmed, fascinated, and in love, when you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, you're enamored.
And enamored is a beautiful word for that feeling. So is lovestruck. Less beautiful and more silly is add____ted: so overwhelmed and stupidly unable to think that your brain has pretty much turned into a rotten egg. Your first love made you add____ted.
make your point with...
"ENAMOR"
To enamor people is to fill them with feelings of love. In other words, to enamor people is to inspire them with love, to fascinate them, or to charm them.
Pronunciation:
en AM ur
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 enamor someone.)
Other forms:
The British spelling is "enamour," which is sometimes used in America, too.
The adjectives are "enamored" ("fascinated, in love") and "enamoring" ("fascinating, inspiring love").
How to use it:
Although you can say that something or someone enamors someone else ("he enamored audiences"), most often we use the passive form to talk about who's enamored of or with someone or something else: "audiences are enamored of him," "audiences are enamored with him," "no one is enamored with that plan."
Even without "of" or "with," the adjective "enamored" helps you describe people who are in love, literally or figuratively: "these enamored fans have been waiting for hours to meet their idol," "sure, the song is lovely, but I'm not enamored."
As you can tell, "enamor" describes romantic love just as often as it describes deep friendship, fascination, charm, and admiration, even the sarcastic and exaggerated kind: "Why are you so enamored of yappy dogs?"
examples:
In the late 90's we were obsessed, no, enamored with lava lamps and bell bottom jeans, with only a vague appreciation of their earlier popularity.
As I get older and crankier, I'm less enamored of pop music.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "enamor" means when you can explain it without saying "fill with love" or "inspire fascination."
try it out:
Think of someone or something you adore (or used to adore). Fill in the blanks: "I am/was so enamored with _____ that _____."
Example: "Taylor is so enamored with Jake and the Never Land Pirates that she picked a pirate costume this Halloween over all the princess ones available."
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 with KWIKORD, an addictive, challenging new word game for solo or group play, created by Wayne Ellice.
We're dipping our toes into the game this month, trying some simple challenges first and working our way toward harder tasks. (Check out my interview with the game's creator here, and order your own copy of the full version of KWIKORD here.) You'll see a sample answer to each puzzle the following day. Enjoy!
Yesterday, you took the letters DGSAOU and arranged them into words to fill the perimeter of a 4x4 grid. Many solutions were possible. Here are two:
Try it again today with the letters TRYEIO. Draw three vertical and three horizontal lines on some scrap paper, and go for it!
review today's word:
1. The opposite of ENAMOR is
A. EMBOLDEN
B. DESTROY
C. DISGUST
2. For the company, it's not enough that we _____ the phone; they want us to be enamored, to _____.
A. recognize .. understand its design
B. know about .. consider purchasing it
C. buy .. sing its praises on Twitter and Facebook
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. C
2. C
You can see amor, Old French for "love," inside enamor, meaning "to fill with love; to inspire with feelings of love." So when you're charmed, fascinated, and in love, when you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, you're enamored.
"ENAMOR" To enamor people is to fill them with feelings of love. In other words, to enamor people is to inspire them with love, to fascinate them, or to charm them. Part of speech:
In the late 90's we were obsessed, no, enamored with lava lamps and bell bottom jeans, with only a vague appreciation of their earlier popularity.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "enamor" means when you can explain it without saying "fill with love" or "inspire fascination."
Think of someone or something you adore (or used to adore). Fill in the blanks: "I am/was so enamored with _____ that _____."
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.
1. The opposite of ENAMOR is
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
|