Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EPOCHAL

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: Something epochal marks an epoch: an important point or a distinctive era in history. For example, unless you were too little at the time (or not even born yet!), you remember September 11th, 2001 as an epochal day. Speaking of historical eras, see if you can recall these words: 1. Something that lasts for an era, for an eternity, or for an extremely long period of time can be called ae____n. 2. The mood or spirit of a particular era can be called its ze______t. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "EPOCHAL" An epoch ("EP uck") is either an important point in time or history (for example, the birth of Christ was an epoch) or a specific period of time or history (for example, the 1960's were an epoch of race riots). So, something epochal either forms or creates an important point or period in time, or it simply has something to do with an important point or period in time. Pronunciation: EP uh cool Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "an epochal thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was epochal.") Other forms: epoch(s) Don't mix it up with "epic" and "epical:" Epic or epical things are huge, grand, heroic, and adventurous: they remind you of a literary epic, or a long poem about grand adventures. Of course, some event you're talking about might be both epic and epochal: how about the debut of the Tesla Model S? How to use it: Talk about epochal moments and hours and days, epochal beginnings and endings, epochal shifts and changes, epochal schisms, epochal problems and crises, epochal struggles and movements, epochal decisions and announcements, epochal accomplishments and creations, and epochal events, such as epochal trials or epochal victories. Or, say that something has an epochal importance, or that there's something epochal about what's happening. Instead of using the adjective "epochal," you might decide to be more precise and use a hyphenated word like "epoch-forming," "epoch-making," or "epoch-marking" to describe something (such as a book, speech, invention, or revolution), or even to describe a person. examples: It's exciting to have witnessed it: how information made its epochal leap from the page to the screen. The new Climate Science Special Report lists the current consequences of global warming, affirming that it's an epochal crisis and recommending that we immediately reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "epochal" means when you can explain it without saying "momentous" or "decisive." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "The way we (do something) is (approaching, undergoing, or being shattered by) an epochal change." Example: "The way we buy and watch movies at home is undergoing an epochal change."  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 "Coiners & Coinages." Use your knowledge of science, history, literature, and vocabulary as you match newly coined words to the people who coined them, and vice versa. Let's do this! From our previous issue: To avoid the meaning implied by the word "sensual," who coined the word SENSUOUS: was it John Milton, Jane Austen, or William Faulkner? Answer: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, evidence suggests it was Milton who made up the word "sensuous," trying to emphasize that something was pleasant to the senses. Were you thinking that this new word showed up in his most famous work, Paradise Lost? Actually, nope! It first appeared in a political pamphlet that Milton wrote in 1641. Check out the way he used the word; it's beautiful: "The Soule..finding the ease she had from her visible, and sensuous collegue the body in performance of Religious duties..shifted off from her selfe, the labour of high soaring any more." Try this today: Which word or phrase was invented by Vinton Cerf, Yogen Dalal, and Carl Sunshine at Stanford University: was it TRANSISTOR, CELLULAR PHONE, or INTERNET? review today's word: 1. One opposite of EPOCHAL is A. GRAND. B. UNBLEMISHED. C. INCONSEQUENTIAL. 2. Embraced as an epochal film, Citizen Kane _____. A. made excellent use of flashbacks and other standard techniques B. was the first to astound audiences with the deep focus camera technique C. was alive with all the subtlety, characterization, and resonating emotional truth of a novel 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. C 2. B