Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INFINITESIMAL

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: Thanks to Alyssa for suggesting this useful and fun-to-say word, infinitesimal! It's an amusingly long word, considering it means "tiny." We can say the same for the words li____utian and ina_____iable. Could you recall both of those synonyms? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "INFINITESIMAL" Even though "infinite" often means "so many or so much that you can't count them, or so huge that you can't measure it," it can also mean "unable to be counted or measured because it's so small." So, take the word "infinite" and add the suffix "-simal" (which means a numerical order, like the "-th" in "sixth" or "hundredth,") and you get "infinitesimal." Strictly speaking, something infinitesimal is so small that you can't even measure it. More loosely, something infinitesimal is extremely tiny or extremely insignificant. Pronunciation: IN FIN ih TESS im ull 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 "an infinitesimal thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was infinitesimal.") Other forms: infinitesimally, infinitesmality/infinitesimalness How to use it: Call something infinitesimal when you need to exaggerate how little or unimportant it is. Talk about infinitesimal    objects and shapes;   holes and gaps;   sizes, proportions, and amounts;   parts, pieces, sections, and portions;   steps and movements;   and changes, degrees, differences, and fluctuations. Or, say that something is of infinitesimal importance, or that something has an infinitesimal chance of happening. examples: In our biology class, some of us had trouble visualizing infinitesimal processes like cell division. "[Stunt-related deaths] were analyzed thoroughly, more precautionary measures were taken, and the most infinitesimal mistakes, of the mechanical and human sort, were assessed."    —The Guardian, 18 August 2017 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "infinitesimal" without saying "negligible" or "microscopic." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something) is so sensitive that (he, she, or it) (notices, detects, or responds to) the most infinitesimal changes in _____." Example: "Taylor is so sensitive that she responds to the most infinitesimal changes in our moods." 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 "Sleek Slogans." I'll take a familiar slogan from a company or a product, express that slogan in plain language, and tell you the specific qualities the slogan has (like rhyme or alliteration), and then you come up with the real slogan as well as the name of the company or product. From the previous issue: Rewrite this slogan by using a play on words, repetition, and parallelism (the use of balanced clauses or phrases): "Use our product to get your shaving done faster and at a lower price." Answer: That's a slogan for Dollar Shave Club: "Shave Time. Shave Money."  Try this one today: Rewrite this slogan by using a near rhyme (a pair of words that almost rhyme, as in "leave" and "beef"), alliteration (repeated sounds, as in "vim and vigor"), and personification (giving a human trait to something that's not human, as in "angry rains"): "Take a trip on our airline, and enjoy a warm, kind customer service experience." review today's word: 1. A close opposite of INFINITESIMAL is A. DEFICIENT. B. SUBSTANTIAL. C. HIGH-STRUNG. 2. We _____ as we pass _____ whose market, we imagine, is infinitesimal. A. give thanks for our good health .. the hospital, B. frown with worry .. the palatial, stadium-like megachurch, C. giggle .. the strip center that appears to offer "Bakery Insurance," 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. C