Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ERISTIC

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connect today's word to others: Do you know someone who's basically the Greek goddess of discord? Someone who argues just because she loves to argue? She (or he) is eristic: like the mythical Eris, the goddess of strife and discord. Eris was the one who crashed a wedding feast of the gods, offered a prize (the Golden Apple of Discord) to the most beautiful goddess there, and started a literal war because three of them wanted that prize so badly.  Speaking of the beauty contest that Eris started, of that struggle to be the fairest of them all. According to some sources, Eris inspired the Sleeping Beauty story. I hope you're reminded of the word m_l_f___nt, which is both the name of the eristic sorceress from the movie Sleeping Beauty and a general term meaning "evil, or hurtful to others on purpose." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "ERISTIC" Someone eristic loves to argue and stir up conflict between people.  And something eristic is full of arguments or conflicts between people. Pronunciation: Either "uh RISS tick" or "air ISS tick." 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 eristic thing" or "an eristic person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was eristic" or "He was eristic.") Other forms: "Eristic" is also a noun, sometimes capitalized. It can mean "the art of arguing," or "a person who loves to argue." Sometimes you'll see the alternate adjective "eristical." How to use it: "Eristic" usually has a negative tone. And it's a bit fancy, so be sure to use it when the situation is right so that you don't sound snobby. (In situations where you think a plainer, commoner word like "quarrelsome" or "argumentative" would do, you're probably right.) Talk about eristic people and groups, eristic conversations and dialogue, eristic papers and publications, eristic distinctions, etc. examples: The title may be hip and snazzy, but the whole article is just another eristic condemnation of "kids these days." Eristic pundits, all across the major news networks, have turned politics into entertainment. (My grandmother used to say, "Why are they shouting at each other?") study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "eristic" means when you can explain it without saying "disputatious" or "argumentative." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) is a true eristic and will argue with you about (something minor)." Example: "She is a true eristic and will argue with you about whether strawberries are a fruit." 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 "Game of Games!" Guess the one-word title of each board game, using your knowledge of vocabulary. From our previous issue:  Designed by Jason B. McAllister and David A. Trampier, this game has players waging war with monsters and other mythic beings while trying to become the single most powerful leader. The game's title means "like a giant from Greek myth: an extremely important, extremely famous person or thing (usually a person)." It's pictured below, with the title blurred out. What game is this? Answer: Titan. Check out the game here and the word here. Try this today:  Designed by Fréderic Moyersoen, this game has players working together to mine for gold. But one player is assigned to be, let's say, the traitor. Players keep their roles secret, then aim to find out which among them is responsible for secretly wrecking the group's adventure. The game's title means "someone who damages something or completely messes it up on purpose." It's pictured below, with the title blurred out. What game is this? review today's word: 1. The opposite of ERISTIC is A. HOLISTIC. B. HARMONIOUS. C. HAIR-SPLITTING. 2. When Mike Brown and his team at the W. M. Keck Observatory discovered the most massive dwarf planet in our solar system, they named it Eris: appropriate, given that _____. A. it was thought to be even larger than Pluto, still considered a full planet at the time B. it's the furthest thing away from our sun that we know of, if we don't count comets or spacecraft  C. the astronomical community had fought a great deal over how the dwarf planet should be classified and named 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. C