Make Your Point > Archived Issues > HARROWING

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connect today's word to others: For many of us, harrowing is one of those words that lingers in the doorway to our vocabulary: we know it, we use it, but...what's a harrow? And what does it actually mean to harrow something? Let's invite this word inside and get to know it better, starting with where it's from. It's from the farm. Also from the farm are glean, thresh, fallow, fodder, winnow, and first fruits. For each of those, could you explain the literal and figurative meanings? make your point with... "HARROWING" This word comes from Old English, and it might be related to the word "harvest." Here's a harrow: (The image is courtesy of Wiktionary.org.) As you can see, a harrow is a farming tool with sharp teeth that drag over the ground. When you harrow the ground, you break it up or tear it up. So, something harrowing feels like it's clawing into you with a harrow: it's scary, painful, or stressful.     Pronunciation: HAIR oh ing 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 "a harrowing thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was harrowing.") Other forms: harrowingly, harrowingness; harrow(s); harrowed; harrower(s) How to use it: Talk about harrowing situations and circumstances, harrowing problems and issues, harrowing experiences and incidents, harrowing realizations and discoveries, harrowing injuries and heartaches, etc. You can also talk about a harrowing past, a harrowing history, or a harrowing period of time: "a harrowing afternoon," "a harrowing year." Or, talk about harrowing pain, stress, terror, anguish, etc. You can even call things harrowing when the fear, pain, or stress they cause comes secondhand: harrowing tales, stories, accounts, reports, articles, books, shows, and movies; harrowing details, images, and information; and even harrowing poems, songs, artwork, and performances. examples: He doesn't talk much about those harrowing years of poverty and isolation. Addled, in labor, and in a harrowing rush to leave for the hospital, I shoved a half-eaten bowl of cereal into the fridge.  study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "harrowing" means when you can explain it without saying "excruciating" or "nerve-wracking." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "Having (accomplished something potentially messy, painful, or disastrous), (someone) sighed dramatically, 'That was harrowing.'" Example: "Having clipped the baby's microscopic fingernails without snagging her skin, I sighed dramatically, 'That was harrowing.'" 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. Our game this month is called "Quirky Keepers."  We’ll play with a bunch of bizarre, oddly specific words—words that deserve a place in our vocabulary, even though they're too wacky and rare to explore in full issues of Make Your Point. (I found most of these words in Charles Harrington Elster’s outrageously entertaining book, There’s A Word For It: A Grandiloquent Guide to Life.) Our goal as we play is to squirrel the words away in our memories. So, in each issue, we’ll check out a word; in the following issue, I’ll give you a new example of that word, and you see if you can recall it. We’ll start with short words and work our way up to the six-, seven-, and eight-syllable doozies. See if you can recall the word from the previous issue: You've paid for piano lessons for your kid, but when it's time for her to practice, she whines, procrastinates, and generally acts like the piano is an instrument of torture. What noun describes her? (It's six syllables.)  See the answer by scrolling all the way down. Today, let’s check out "valetudinarian." That's a sickly person who's obsessed with his or her own sickliness. Remember, in the next issue I’ll give you an example of a valetudinarian, without mentioning the word—and you’ll try to recall it. That'll help you keep it in your memory. review today's word: 1. The opposite of HARROWING is A. SYMBOLIC. B. SOOTHING. C. BROADENING. 2. The scene becomes even more harrowing after you learn that _____. A. most of the jokes were ad-libbed by the actors B. the blow to the actor's head really did knock him unconscious C. it took ten months for the actor to put on the muscle that he displays 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. Answer to the game question: She's a misodoctakleidist: someone who hates practicing the piano. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B