Make Your Point > Archived Issues > JUVENESCENT

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"JUVENESCENT" Meaning: Just like "adolescent" means "becoming an adult," and like "senescent" means "becoming old," "juvenescent" means becoming more and more youthful. (And sometimes, people simply use "juvenescent" as another word for "young" or "youthful.") Pronunciation: joo vin ESS unt 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 juvenescent spirit.” 2. After a linking verb, as in "His spirit was juvenescent.”) Other forms: juvenescence How to use it: Like I mentioned above, you call people and things juvenescent when you mean they seem to be getting more young or more youthful. But you can also call someone or something juvenescent and simply mean young or youthful. In either case, unlike "juvenile," which has a negative tone, "juvenescent" is usually positive. It can emphasize the good qualities of youth (like joy, free-spiritedness, beauty, creativity, and energy) rather than the bad ones (like immaturity, recklessness, and ignorance.) So, talk about a juvenescent personality or a juvenescent soul or spirit, a juvenescent period or time, juvenescent voices or laughter, juvenescent talent, a juvenescent quality or emotion (like juvenescent vigor or juvenescent hope) and so on. For the noun, talk about someone's juvenescence or a period of juvenescence, just like you would with the words "infancy," "youth," "adolescence," and "adulthood." In her mid-forties, she found herself swept up in a joyful juvenescence, with new on-trend clothes, impromptu trips overseas, and dance classes. The lyrics from his more juvenescent albums show a mixture of awkwardness and sweet simplicity. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "juvenescent" means when you can explain it without saying "not aging" or "becoming youthful." Think of an older person you know who has a youthful spirit, and fill in the blanks: "(Person) (has a certain characteristic or habit typical of older people,) but (his/her) juvenescent soul shines through in (a certain youthful characteristic or habit.)" Example: "My college history professor may have worn elbow patches and sported a white beard and everything, but his juvenescent soul shone through in the gleeful laughter that punctuated his lectures." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, we're playing with song lyrics that include words featured in issues of Make Your Point. I’ll give you a few lines from the song, with a blank where our word appears, along with its definition. See if you can come up with it! You can follow the link to see the right answer right away, or just wait until the following day’s issue. Have fun! Yesterday's lyrics: Artist: The Decembrists Title: On the Bus Mall Lyrics:    For the old men at the off-tracks,    Who've paid in _____    And crumpled old dollars Definition: meaningless chit-chat Answer: palaver Try this one today: Artist: Ella Fitzgerald Title: She Didn't Say "Yes" Lyrics:    She wanted to rest    All cuddled and pressed    A _____ part of somebody's heart Definition: able to be touched, or so real that it’s almost as if it can be touched Peek at the answer... A Point Well Made: Sir William Temple:  “Books, like proverbs, receive their chief value from the stamp and esteem of ages through which they have passed.” 1. One opposite of JUVENESCENT is A. DECLINING B. INCLINING C. RECLINING 2. The air seemed to _____ with the juvenescence of _____. A. stagnate.. winter B. buzz .. spring C. suffocate .. summer Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.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 review questions: 1. A 2. B Exploring the archives: You'll recognize on today's word the suffix "-scent," meaning "becoming, growing, or thriving." ("Juvenescent" means "becoming young.") We've looked at 3 other words with that same suffix. Can you recall them? Here they are in alphabetical order: 1. "__scent" means "just now beginning to develop." 2. "______scent" means "becoming outdated." 3. "____scent" means "(becoming) still and quiet."