Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EXALT
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I just realized that I've misheard the lyrics to "Good Vibrations." The Beach Boys actually say, "She's giving me excitations." But until this moment, I thought they were saying, "She's giving me exaltations."
(I'd never have made it on that show Don't Forget the Lyrics!)
The cool thing about my misunderstanding is that it isn't one. An excitation and an exaltation are just about the same: a feeling of bubbling upwards with good emotion, of being lifted up high with joy.
Let's put the word exalt into a group of its relatives. What single idea links the words exalt, altar, alto, enhance, altitude, haughty, and h__teur (meaning "haughtiness, arrogance")?
Height.
You can trace all the bold words above back to the Latin altus, meaning "high."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"EXALT"
This word has Latin roots that mean "(bring) high out of."
To exalt things or people is to lift them up to a higher level of power, respect, or dignity--often with words of praise.
More loosely, to exalt things is to make them more intense.
Another meaning of "exalt" that we rarely use in its verb form today is "to uplift with joy." If you exalt in something, you find a joy in it that seems to lift you up into the clouds. I mention that because, today, the noun "exaltation" often does still mean "extreme happiness; uplifted joy." It can also simply mean "a lifting up" or "an intensifying." And, rather poetically, it can mean "a group (of larks)." Like this: "Did you see that exaltation of larks soaring over the pond?"
If "an exaltation of larks" strikes you as delightfully silly, you'll enjoy An Exaltation of Larks, a compendium of old, poetic, and made-up terms for groups of things, by James Lipton. Yes, that James Lipton.
Pronunciation:
egg ZALT
Part of speech:
Verb, the transitive kind: "they exalted him," "she was exalted by her fans."
Other forms:
exalted, exalting, exaltation
How to use it:
This word has a religious, biblical flavor. And these days, we often use it for harsh sarcasm.
That is, when we talk about people who exalt things and other people, often we're being critical, pointing out the foolishness of those who praise, idolize, idealize, or deify things or other people: "they exalted this singer," "he's been exalted as a guru," "she exalts antioxidants without even knowing what they are."
You might talk about people exalting an author, a politician, a fitness celebrity, etc.
Or, talk about people exalting a company, a product, a vacation spot, a process, a method, an experience, an ideal, a philosophy, etc.
examples:
In Book 2, Gilderoy Lockhart confers his own exalted presence on the students at Hogwarts, where he teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts by reenacting his gallant victories over vampires, werewolves, and yetis.
"But with its roots in opera, as a term used to exalt a singer for her divine talent, [the word 'diva' is] a barb flung with an eye-roll, not a backstab—and sometimes even a 'yass!'"
— Inkoo Kang, Slate, 13 May 2019
has this page helped you understand "exalt"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "exalt" without saying "glorify" or "put on a pedestal."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "In a moment of exaltation, (someone) (experienced something extremely joyful)."
Example: "In a moment of exaltation, I felt the baby's first nudge from within."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month is "Big Bang Thicket."
In each issue, hack your way through the polysyllabic title of an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and use your knowledge of vocabulary to answer the question about what happens in that episode.
From the previous issue:
In "The Ornithophobia Diffusion," does Sheldon's fear of birds worsen or improve?
Answer:
It improves. When things diffuse, they spread out or scatter widely around, sometimes getting weaker.
Try this one today:
In "The Extract Obliteration," during a word game with his friends, Sheldon plays the term "extract." Does this move destroy his friends' chances, making him the winner? Or does it improve his relationships with these friends?
review this word:
1. The opposite of EXALT is
A. STUN.
B. DEBASE.
C. OVER-SALT.
2. To be exalté is to be _____.
A. past your prime
B. uplifted with gladness
C. overburdened with power
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:
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.
I just realized that I've misheard the lyrics to "Good Vibrations." The Beach Boys actually say, "She's giving me excitations." But until this moment, I thought they were saying, "She's giving me exaltations."
"EXALT" This word has Latin roots that mean "(bring) high out of."
In Book 2, Gilderoy Lockhart confers his own exalted presence on the students at Hogwarts, where he teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts by reenacting his gallant victories over vampires, werewolves, and yetis.
Explain the meaning of "exalt" without saying "glorify" or "put on a pedestal."
Fill in the blanks: "In a moment of exaltation, (someone) (experienced something extremely joyful)."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of EXALT is
|