Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FRISSON
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connect today's word to others:
At least a dozen people have told me that frisson is their very favorite word. I can see why; it's lovely. (Another oft-reported favorite is s___n__p__y: good luck that comes as a surprise.)
A frisson is an emotional thrill or shiver. We got it from Latin (through French), and it's related to other chilly words: frigid, refrigerator, and the very chill s_ng-f___d, which means "cool, detached, unemotional indifference."
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make your point with...
"FRISSON"
A frisson is a quick, sudden shiver of strong emotion.
Pronunciation:
free ZAW(N)
(Just barely say that final "n.")
Part of speech:
Countable noun.
(Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions."
Likewise, talk about one frisson or multiple frissons.)
Other forms:
Just the plural, "frissons." Pronounce it "free ZAWZ."
How to use it:
Talk about things that cause, offer, provide, or generate frissons. And talk about people who get, feel, enjoy, or experience frissons.
You can specify a type of frisson. One way to do this is with an adjective: holy frissons, literary frissons, pleasant frissons. Another way is to add "of:" a frisson of drama, a frisson of excitement, a frisson of anticipation, the frisson of an unexpected gift, the frisson of witnessing poetic justice being served.
Although a frisson is often a positive jolt of emotion, it can be negative: "a frisson of alarm," "a frisson of danger."
examples:
Do you love horror movies for the frisson of danger they provide? (I don't!)
For ten years, Brain Pickings Weekly has been giving us frissons--insights from artists, authors, and philosophers that open our eyes and show us what it is to be fully human.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "frisson" means when you can explain it without saying "emotional shudder" or "sudden flash of feeling."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "_____ sent a frisson of _____ through me."
Example: "The first few notes of 'Zombie' by the Cranberries sent a frisson of nostalgia through me."
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.
"Bits & Pieces." This month, we're playing with affixes and combining forms, the bits and pieces of our language, matching them to their meanings. The more of these bits and pieces you know, the better you are at decoding unfamiliar words, which is sooo satisfying! I'll share the answers in each subsequent issue.
Here are the answers from our previous issue:
1. "bio-" means "life."
2. "blasto-" means "bud, sprout, or germ."
3. "-colous" means "living in a certain place."
4. "-parous" means "bearing or producing."
5. "tropho-" means "nutrition."
Try this set today. It's about society:
1. "-cade" means _____.
2. "ethno-" means _____.
3. "-machy" means _____.
4. "-polis" means _____.
5. "-tide" means _____.
Answer bank:
A. festival
B. city or town
C. battle or contest
D. people or culture
E. show or procession
review today's word:
1. A close opposite of FRISSON is
A. HAPPINESS.
B. PLACIDITY.
C. DESTINY.
2. An idea _____ her, a frisson of realization.
A. chilled
B. warmed
C. billowed within
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. A
At least a dozen people have told me that frisson is their very favorite word. I can see why; it's lovely. (Another oft-reported favorite is s___n__p__y: good luck that comes as a surprise.)
"FRISSON" A frisson is a quick, sudden shiver of strong emotion. Other forms:
Do you love horror movies for the frisson of danger they provide? (I don't!)
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "frisson" means when you can explain it without saying "emotional shudder" or "sudden flash of feeling."
Fill in the blanks: "_____ sent a frisson of _____ through me."
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. A close opposite of FRISSON is
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. |