Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INGURGITATE

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connect today's word to others: The Late Latin gurges means "gulf or whirlpool" as well as "jaws or throat," and it's the source of words like gorge, engorge, regurgitate, and ingurgitate, the word we'll explore today. Basically, if you're gorging on something, or ingurgitating it, you're gobbling it up, as if your jaws are a whirlpool. OM NOM. And I find that so colorful, how in Latin the word for "whirlpool" also meant "jaws." So while we've got that image in mind, let's recall these terms: 1. Another word for whirlpool is m_______, which can also mean "a situation that's a huge, violent, chaotic mess." 2. Another way of saying "between a rock and a hard place," or literally "between a rock and a whirlpool," is "between S_____ and C________." (To reveal a word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "INGURGITATE" This word is like a longer, louder, sloppier version of "gorge." Its Latin roots literally mean "to engulf in." If you're ingurgitating something, it's like you're sucking it into your jaws, like a whirlpool sucks in a ship. In other words, to ingurgitate something is to eat it or drink it in a greedy way. Pronunciation: in GUR jih tate Part of speech: Verb, usually the transitive kind ("he ingurgitates his supper") but sometimes the intransitive kind ("she keeps ingurgitating"). Other forms: ingurgitated, ingurgitating, ingurgitation How to use it: This is a rare word that strikes me as hilarious and onomatopoetic: as if all those awkward syllables, especially the "gurg," are the sound of greedy chomping or swallowing. I'm pretty sure your listeners will understand this word easily, since they'll recognize its similarity to the common word "regurgitate" (literally "to un-engulf"). The tone of this word is negative and a bit old-fashioned; you almost expect to see it after "doth" and before "much ale." :) So, I suggest that, when you need to be especially emphatic and humorous, you choose "ingurgitate" instead of "cram," "gorge," "guzzle," "devour," etc. To be literal, talk about people ingurgitating food and drinks. And to be figurative, talk about people ingurgitating books, music, movies, news, ideas, information, sights, sounds, experiences, pleasures, etc. Or, talk about a thing or situation ingurgitating a person ("her thesis is ingurgitating her") or a thing ingurgitating another thing ("her thesis is ingurgitating her free time"). examples: I glance over at Matt, who's cheerfully ingurgitating his XXL Grilled Stuft burrito; he's done in about fifteen seconds. "...Jean Calmet orders the worst thing in the world: a barely potable mint tea that he forces himself to ingurgitate with a gloomy, sickeningly sweet hunk of Turkish delight."    — Jacques Chessex, The Tyrant, 2012 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "ingurgitate" without saying "gulp" or "scarf down." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) stares at (something or someone else) as if longing to ingurgitate (him/her/it/them)." Example: "She stares at the glossy cover of the new comic as if longing to ingurgitate it." 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 "A Doodad Named After a Thingamajig." If I give you two categories, X and Y, can you think of an X that was named after a Y? We'll start off easy--these first few questions will have lots of correct answers each that you might think up--and we'll work our way toward harder questions that, as far as I know, have only one correct answer each. From the previous issue: Can you think of a virtual assistant named after a character from a science fiction story? The only answer I know of is Siri, named for the character in Dan Simmons's "Remembering Siri." (If you know more, please share them!) Try this last one today: Can you think of a type of problem named after an ancient city? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of INGURGITATE is A. EJECT. B. ABSORB. C. COMPACT. 2. Seeing the _____ of good literature freely available, she regrets having ingurgitated so many trashy novels. A. palette B. panoply C. smorgasbord 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. A 2. C