Make Your Point > Archived Issues > GRAY EMINENCE
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In the Roman Catholic Church, a Cardinal wears red robes, and you call him "Your Eminence." Sources disagree on the details of the following backstory, but here it is: long ago, one Cardinal's agent wore gray robes and secretly exercised all the Cardinal's power. So you'll see why today's term, gray eminence, means "a powerful behind-the-scenes ruler."
To anchor this term in your memory to more familiar ones, you might want to brush up on eminent (how is it similar to and different from the word "outstanding"?) and cardinal (what else does it mean besides a color and a Catholic dignitary?).
make your point with...
"GRAY EMINENCE"
Something or someone with eminence is dignified, successful, or remarkable. Historically, a Roman Catholic Cardinal was known as "his red eminence," with "red" a reference to his robes, while "his gray eminence" was an agent of that Cardinal who wore gray robes and secretly wielded the real power.
More generally, a gray eminence, or an éminence grise, is a person who has a lot of power and influence in a situation even though that person isn't officially in charge.
Pronunciation:
For the English term, "gray eminence," say "GRAY EM ih nints."
For the French term, "éminence grise," say "EM ih nints GREEZE."
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 gray eminence, the gray eminence, a gray eminence, or multiple gray eminences.)
Other forms:
None, but you do have your pick between the French ("éminence grise") and English versions, both of which are used in English. A comparison of Google search results reveals that the French version is about ten times more common than the English; still, I prefer to stick to the plainer, more natural "gray eminence."
How to use it:
This word has a sinister tone: a gray eminence is usually a sneaky, controlling person, one who exerts power from the shadows.
Talk about a gray eminence; the gray eminence; the gray eminence of the real leader (or a real leader's gray eminence); the gray eminence of (or behind) an administration, a government, an organization, a philosophy, or any sphere of activity or power (as in "another gray eminence of the college" and "these gray eminences of the global economy").
But when "gray eminence" is too formal or scholarly for your context, consider "wire-puller" as a plainer, more straightforward alternative.
You'll notice these days that for many educated writers, "gray eminence" has taken on a different meaning: "old, respected, influential, well-established person." (Here's an example from the New York Times: "But the VMAs are not a show that grows up with you, and Ms. Swift was a virtual eminence grise here... They need her more than she needs them." And from the L.A. Times: "[Lorin Maazel] was an eminence grise before he went gray and an intellectual who brought a kind of cosmopolitan erudition to the world of music." And here's David Foster Wallace: "In one of the graduate workshops I suffered through, an earnest gray eminence kept trying to convince our class that...") Okay, so, there's a logical misunderstanding of the phrase: "gray" makes us think of graying hair and wisdom. But dictionaries don't recognize this meaning. Should we roll with it and say, sure, "gray eminence" also means "aged, venerated person"? Or should we stand by the original meaning? I've got only the questions, y'all, not the answers.
examples:
It's a story that must have played out before: an outsider bumbles into power, and we bite our nails as we wait to see who becomes his gray eminence.
In Clear Lake where practically every mom and dad is an astronaut or an engineer, we had to laugh at the complexity and maturity of some of these kids' science projects... who do you think was the gray eminence behind the one on more efficient rocket fuel?
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "gray eminence" means when you can explain it without saying "secret controller" or "unofficial influencer."
try it out:
From real life or fiction, who's someone definitely calling the shots even though he or she isn't the official person in charge? Fill in the blanks: "While (the official leader does something that doesn't matter), (his/her) gray eminence (Name) is (doing something that does matter)."
Example: "While the Sultan is fiddling with his toys, his gray eminence Jafar is plotting to marry the princess and strengthen his control of the city."
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 with the original and literal meanings of familiar words. I'll give you three words and their original or literal definitions, and you'll match them up. Easy! But then the following day, see if you can recall those old meanings. Hard! :) Our game has two purposes. One, we'll visit the interesting, thought-provoking old meanings of words. And two, we'll remind ourselves of a powerful learning strategy: delayed recalling. Let's play!
First, try to recall from yesterday the literal meaning of "recession" and the original meanings of "loan" and "handsome." Answers appear at the bottom of this issue.
Next, match these words to their original or literal definitions in the answer bank below:
1. "Heal" originally meant _____
2. "Amethyst" literally means _____
3. "Castle" originally meant _____
Answer bank:
A. "not intoxicating."
B. "whole."
C. "village."
review today's word:
1. The exact opposite of GRAY EMINENCE is RED EMINENCE.
But another, more general opposite of GRAY EMINENCE is
A. LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY
B. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
C. TRUE DEVOTION
2. Like Dorothy Gale, we're left to _____, looking for the gray eminence.
A. face the gathering storm clouds
B. gaze into the crystal ball
C. yank back the curtain
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.
Answers to game questions:
1. "Loan" originally meant "a gift from a superior."
2. "Recession" literally means "a going back."
3. "Handsome" originally meant "easy to handle."
Answers to review questions:
1. A
2. C
In the Roman Catholic Church, a Cardinal wears red robes, and you call him "Your Eminence." Sources disagree on the details of the following backstory, but here it is: long ago, one Cardinal's agent wore gray robes and secretly exercised all the Cardinal's power. So you'll see why today's term, gray eminence, means "a powerful behind-the-scenes ruler."
"GRAY EMINENCE" Something or someone with eminence is dignified, successful, or remarkable. Historically, a Roman Catholic Cardinal was known as "his red eminence," with "red" a reference to his robes, while "his gray eminence" was an agent of that Cardinal who wore gray robes and secretly wielded the real power. Part of speech:
It's a story that must have played out before: an outsider bumbles into power, and we bite our nails as we wait to see who becomes his gray eminence.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "gray eminence" means when you can explain it without saying "secret controller" or "unofficial influencer."
From real life or fiction, who's someone definitely calling the shots even though he or she isn't the official person in charge? Fill in the blanks: "While (the official leader does something that doesn't matter), (his/her) gray eminence (Name) is (doing something that does matter)."
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. The exact opposite of GRAY EMINENCE is RED EMINENCE.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
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