Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MEMENTO MORI

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connect today's word to others: Remember when Hamlet finds his friend's skull and realizes that no matter how we live our lives, we still die in the end? The skull he was holding was a memento mori: a reminder of our own mortality. Speaking of creepy skeletons, what's an adjective you could use to describe someone frightfully thin--or anything deathly and disturbing? It's cad_______. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "MEMENTO MORI" A memento is a reminder: something that reminds you of a certain person, place, or thing. Add "mori," the Latin for "to die," and you get today's term. Literally "remember to die," a memento mori is something you see that reminds you that you'll eventually die.  Or, more loosely, a memento mori is something you see that's serious and grim. Pronunciation: muh MEN toe MORE ee 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 memento mori or multiple memento mori--yes, the plural is the same as the singular.) Other forms: none How to use it: This term has specific meanings in the realms of art and religion, but we'll stick to its general meaning. Talk about something being a memento mori, or something providing or serving as a memento mori, perhaps to someone or for someone.  What kind of thing can be a memento mori? A skull, a cemetery, a dead animal, a decayed vegetable, a work of art, a song, a photo or video, an old letter--really, anything that makes you stop and think, "Well, gee, life is frightfully short." Even though "memento mori" is a noun, we can use it loosely as an adjective: some memento mori art, these memento mori images, a memento mori theme. examples: Do you embrace your aging self, or is every new wrinkle a memento mori to you? David Wallace-Wells's lengthy article, "The Uninhabitable Earth," details how climate change is already distressing populations around the globe and serves as a memento mori for our entire species. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "memento mori" means when you can explain it without saying "reminder of life's brevity" or "image of mortality." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "On a dark day, _____ can seem less like _____ and more like a memento mori." Example: "On a dark day, a withered rose can seem less like a symptom of the July heat and more like a memento mori." 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 Banishing Bland Adjectives. In each issue, we're strengthening our word-finding skills as we take aim at a vague little adjective and think up three ways to make it more specific. Resist the urge to sneak off to the thesaurus! From the previous issue: BEAUTIFUL. 1. When something is so BEAUTIFUL that it seems like it must have been handed down from the gods as a gift, then instead of BEAUTIFUL, call it _____. 2. When something is so BEAUTIFUL because it seems like it took a lot of time and skill to create, then instead of BEAUTIFUL, call it _____. 3. When something is so BEAUTIFUL that it seems to emit rays of light, then instead of BEAUTIFUL, call it _____. Suggested answers: 1, divine; 2, exquisite; 3, dazzling. (Your answers might be different but just as precise.) Today: UGLY. 1. When something seems UGLY because you don't like the way it looks and it's not at all the way that you would have chosen to make it look, then instead of UGLY, call it _____. 2. When something seems UGLY because you didn't expect it to look that way and it gives you the shivers, then instead of UGLY, call it _____. 3. When something is so UGLY that looking at it or thinking about it makes you feel ill, then instead of UGLY, call it _____. review today's word: 1. The opposite of MEMENTO MORI is A. MEMENTO VIVERE (a reminder of how pleasant it is to be alive). B. MEMBRATURE (the way that parts or members are arranged). C. MORIBUNDITY (the condition of being close to death). 2. The _____, a memento mori for us all, _____. A. tedium of diagramming sentences .. is, thankfully, going the way of the dodo B. StoryPeople, by Brian Andreas .. combines art, poetry, optimism, humor, and love C. Doomsday Clock .. indicates how likely it is that we'll soon cause our own demise 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