Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LEVIATHAN

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explore the archives: A leviathan is anything hugely powerful, like a sea monster. A b_____th is anything hugely powerful, like a beast. And a j________t is anything hugely powerful, like an unstoppable vehicle. make your point with... "LEVIATHAN" From the Bible and from Hebrew poetry, a leviathan is a huge, scary sea monster. More generally, a leviathan is anything enormous and/or powerful enough to remind you of a sea monster. Often it's a ship, but it could be anything, including a person (especially a wealthy one). Pronunciation: luh VY uh thun Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one leviathan or multiple leviathans.) Other forms: The plural is "leviathans," and you can use "leviathan" loosely as an adjective: a leviathan company, this leviathan scandal. How to use it: Call someone or something a leviathan when you mean it's monstrous, huge, and/or powerful. For example, you might talk about political leviathans (the people), corporate leviathans (the corporations themselves), or an author's latest leviathan (an enormous book). examples: Saudi Arabia is a leviathan in the world of oil production. He fancies himself a leviathan who can buy people's respect. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "leviathan" means when you can explain it without saying "monster" or "formidable." try it out: Think of someone or something too powerful. Fill in the blanks: "Not even (a particular kind of attack or insult) (can/could) pierce the skin of the leviathan (thing or person)." Example: "Not even a published documentary about its rampant corruption could pierce the skin of the leviathan board of education." 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 with anagrams: rearrangements of the letters in a word to form new words. (For example, “care” has two anagrams: “acre” and “race.”) Looking for these makes you a stronger player in other word games. But more importantly, it helps you practice thinking flexibly and methodically. Plus you get to giggle at potential non-words and discover new real words. We’ll work our way from shorter to longer anagrams. And at any point if you wonder why I left out a word you wanted to list, or why I included a word you think isn’t a real one, hold your fire: our authority for this game is ScrabbleWordFinder.org, which draws from a highly inclusive dictionary. Let’s play! From yesterday: What is the 1 anagram for LUTE? Answer: TULE. It’s a type of plant. Try this one today: What is the 1 anagram for CHART? review today's word: 1. The opposite of LEVIATHAN is A. JELLYFISH B. EXPERT C. WHEEL 2. Head to the Imaginary Leviathans subreddit to enjoy artist renderings of _____. A. past political scandals B. giant sea-dwelling creatures C. scientists and authors as young children Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@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. Surprised? One meaning of "jellyfish" is "weakling." Since it's also a sea creature, like a literal leviathan, I couldn't resist. 2. B