Make Your Point: LACHRYMOSE

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LACHRYMOSE

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

pronounce LACHRYMOSE:

LACK ruh mose

connect this word to others:

(Source, emphasis added)

Way back in high school, in anatomy class, I had this fabulous epiphany as we were studying the eye's tear system, or lacrimal apparatus. Outside of class, I'd just learned the word lachrymose, meaning "teary, sobbing," from a list of SAT words. The two words were obviously related! Like sisters! (I mean, that sounds obvious, but at the time it was an amazing discovery for me.)

And they are sisters, both descending from the Latin word for "tear," lacrima (also spelled lacryma).

Before we get too in-depth into the word lachrymose, see if you can recall two very close synonyms of it:

1. Something m__dl_n is way too emotional in a weak, tearful way.

2. Something l_g_br___s is sad, gloomy, or mournfulin a fake or exaggerated way.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Lachrymose" traces back through the Latin word for "tear" to a Greek word meaning "to cry, to sob, to weep."

Lachrymose things are full of sadness and tears.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "He's a lachrymose poet;" "That whole album is lachrymose."

Other forms:

The adverb is "lachrymosely," and the noun is "lachrymosity."

how to use it:

Pick the rare, very formal word "lachrymose" when you want to sound serious as you call attention to how sad and weepy something is. That's often a slightly insulting thing to do.

You might talk about people's lachrymose moods, sighs, eyes, faces, or comments.

Or, talk about lachrymose music, poetry, stories, shows, dreams, or memories.

examples:

"Some wry, lachrymose songs [are] blasting from my car stereo. It’s the music of celebrated indie poet laureate David Berman."
— Sean Cannon, Salon, 9 August 2019

"Paul... acquires a taste for reading lachrymose agony columns in the local newspaper."
— Lawrence Osborne, New York Times, 26 April 20184

has this page helped you understand "lachrymose"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "lachrymose" without saying "weepy" or "tearful."

try it out:

A writer for the Guardian referred to country music as "surely the most lachrymose musical genre."

Do you agree? If so, why? If not, what genre of music do you think is more lachrymose, and why?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for May is "Color Your Own Colloquialism."

I'll give you the outline of a colloquialism, from English or translated from another language, along with its definition, and you create your own version of it. Your version can be goofy, straightforward, or unrepeatable in polite company: just have fun with it! To see the real version of the colloquialism, scroll all the way down.

Try this one today:

Meaning: "People are typically blind to the flaws in their own work."

Outline: "Every (type of creator) praises his own (type of creation)."

review this word:

1. One opposite of LACHRYMOSE is

A. BEAMISH: happy and proud, as if beaming out sunlight.
B. DONNISH: stiff, stern, and serious, like a stuffy professor.
C. POEISH: dark, spooky, morbid, or gothic, like the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

2. A writer for the New York Times described Ann Hampton Calloway's voice as "lachrymose," often _____

A. "[holding] back on the high notes."
B. "[hovering] on the brink of tears."
C. "swelling and sinking like the tide."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A 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.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LACHRYMOSE Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to "Make Your Point" for a daily vocabulary boost.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LACHRYMOSE

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.