Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FACILE PRINCEPS

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connect today's word to others: You can see the word prince inside the phrase facile princeps, which describes people and things that are tops, first, best, greatest, most notable, most accomplished, the chief (of whatever), the prince (of whatever). And how about facile: if we pluck facile out of the phrase facile princeps, what does it mean? Could you explain what it means to have a facile mind, a facile excuse, or a facile vocabulary? make your point with... "FACILE PRINCEPS" This is Latin for "easily first" or "easily the best." Someone or something that's facile princeps is the best of its kind. Pronunciation: I suggest "FACK uh lee PRIN keps." (Every dictionary recommends a different pronunciation. I've picked the OED's first recommendation for American English.) Part of speech: Technically a noun, but it works like an adjective. Usually you put it after a linking verb: "he's facile princeps," "it became facile princeps," "it was facile princeps." Other forms: none How to use it: Use this rare, formal, lofty, scholarly phrase to talk about famous people (like leaders and experts) and famous things (like buildings, works of art, and technological achievements). Be sure to italicize it: "facile princeps" and not just "facile princeps." Say that someone or something is facile princeps, that it became facile princeps, that it remains facile princeps, etc. If you prefer, you can talk about "a facile princeps" or "the facile princeps," but just "facile princeps" alone will do: "Shakespeare remains facile princeps in drama." And, just like with other descriptive terms, you can use "facile princeps" as an appositive, with     a comma: "We celebrate Shakespeare, facile princeps in drama;"     a dash: "We celebrate Shakespeare--facile princeps in drama;"     a colon: "We celebrate Shakespeare: facile princeps in drama;"     or parentheses: "We celebrate Shakespeare (facile princeps in drama)." As the examples above show, you can follow "facile princeps" with "in" to explain where--in what field, subject, or context--someone or something is facile princeps. Feel free to play with word order: "We celebrate Shakespeare: in drama, facile princeps." examples: Often you can answer a Jeopardy! question just by guessing the category's facile princeps. Philosophy? Plato. Architecture? Frank Lloyd Wright.  "Eratosthenes was one of the most distinguished of Greek men of learning, ranking, probably, next to the facile princeps of them all--Aristotle."    — John Farquhar Shaw, A New Dictionary of Quotations from the Greek, Latin, and Modern Languages, 1858 study it: Explain the meaning of "facile princeps" without saying "#1" or "far and away the best." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "_____ is still facile princeps among _____." Example: "Microsoft Word is still facile princeps among word processors, but Google Docs is gaining ground." 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 last month was "TV Tropes!" TV tropes are storytelling devices, which can come from any source of fiction—TV, movies, books, you name it. They're the archetypes, the story patterns, the plot devices, the cheap tricks, the situational clichés that we see over and over throughout fiction.  From the previous issue: In fiction, what is the trope known as In Vino Veritas? (Compare it to words like veracious and verisimilitude.) Answer: It's "In wine, there is truth:" it's when a character's true self emerges when he or she has been drinking. For example, in The Three Musketeers, the secretive Athos gets drunk, then reveals a story about his past. Next, our new game for January: "Inspired by, but in no way associated with, Jeopardy!" In each issue this month, I'll create three "answers" for you, and you supply the "questions." (That is, you'll respond in the form of a question, like "What is...?" or "Who is...?") Try these today: 1. Category: Rhyme Three Times. Answer: It’s a lengthy tune, and not the one you wanted to hear. 2. Category: Homophone Pairs. Answer: Gobbled up more than seven, but fewer than nine. 3. Category: The B is Silent. Answer: One who's meek and gentle—or a young sheep. (I'll share the responses in the upcoming issue.) review today's word: 1. A near opposite of FACILE PRINCEPS is A. MIASMA. B. NONENTITY. C. OXYMORON. 2. Vying to become facile princeps in _____. A. copyright law, she studied diligently for several hours a night B. entertainment, Universal Studios distinguished itself from Walt Disney C. the video-rental industry, Blockbuster shut down most of its 9,000 stores 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. B