Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OPALESCE

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pronounce OPALESCE: Say it "OH puh LESS." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: You probably know someone named for a gem or a mineral: a Ruby, a Pearl, an Amber, a Jasper, a Micah, or an Opal. If you know an Opal, you might want to tell her about today's beautiful term, opalesce: "to shimmer like an opal." While we're talking about gems, see if you can recall these other gemlike terms: 1. Literally one of the smooth faces or surfaces on a gem, a f___t can also be any part or aspect of anything, any way of looking at it. 2. Literally meaning "related to work with gems or stones," something la___ary is serious and dignified, in a way that reminds you of something written on a monument--or, it's extremely precise and finely done, in a way that reminds you of how a gemstone is perfectly cut. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: An opal (a shiny whitish gemstone) tends to shimmer in a rainbowy, iridescent way. So, to opalesce is to shimmer with many colors. Figuratively, to opalesce is to be so wonderful that it reminds people of a shimmering, rainbowy opal. grammatical bits: Part of speech: verb, the intransitive kind: "the prism opalesces," "her eyes seem to opalesce." Other forms: opal(s), opalescent, opalescently, opalescence. how to use it: This word is rare but easy to understand. Its tone is positive, even beautiful. To use it literally, talk about gems, crystals, soaps, clouds, skies, rivers, chemicals, windows, raindrops, eyes, hair and so on that opalesce. And to use it figuratively, talk about people, places, time periods, music, language, literature, works of art, emotions, events and so on that opalesce. examples: "Beautiful, Zoe, dear, beautiful! I always did like opals; but opals and diamonds! absolutely my admiration; and they suit you, for you do opalesce with every passing moment. You are red, fiery--green, jealous--yellow, suspicious--orange, whimsical--violet, associative--and true blue, through all."    — Julie P. Smith, Chris and Otho: The Pansies and Orange-blossoms They Found in Roaring River and Rosenbloom, 1875 "'Something strange and miraculous and transforming is taking place in me right now...as I stand here before you!' I could feel the words forming themselves, slowly falling into place. The light seemed to boil opalescently, like liquid soap shaken gently in a bottle."    — Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, 1952 "What was the key to her extraordinary appeal? It was not one dominant attribute but the anarchic coexistence, in one petite, sweetly brazen figure, of a seeming mass of bewitching, opalescent contradictions."    — Kathleen Riley, The Astaires: Fred & Adele, 2012 has this page helped you understand "opalesce"? 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 "opalesce" without saying "glimmer" or "iridesce." try it out: Kate DiCamillo won a Newbery for her children's novel Because of Winn-Dixie, and it's easy to see why: the story is more than beautiful, even more than resplendent. It's opalescent! Also, the main character is named Opal. If you have two or three minutes, you can read Chapter One here. (It's about 800 words long.) If you do, talk about why "Opal" is an appropriate name for the girl telling the story. What is it about her that opalesces? Or, what is it about the text that opalesces? If you don't have time for reading right now, talk instead about some poem, song, book, or movie that you think opalesces with beauty, wisdom, humor, or joy. If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) 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. This month, our game is called "Fix the Grand Spell which was Cast by Short Words."  (Or, in monstrously inflated terms, the game is called "Rewrite the Extraordinary Incantation which was Executed by Monosyllabic Vocables.") In each issue, I'll offer a familiar quote that I've heartlessly hypertrophied with polysyllabic transplants. You'll restore the quote to its original version, with each word just one syllable long. That is to say, I'll share a fat, fake draft of a famed quote; you'll say the trim real one. For example, if I say "Exploit an opportunity while the situation allows," then you say, "Make hay while the sun shines." If I say, "Durations remedy every laceration," then you say, "Time heals all wounds." From the previous issue: "This, additionally, will discontinue." --> "This too shall pass." Try this today: "The more circumstances vary, the more they remain consistent." Say that, but in words of one beat each. Clues:  Where it's from: it's a familiar saying. The year we first heard it: at least as far back as 1848, when a French version was recorded. review this word: 1. A near opposite of OPALESCE is A. DEEPEN. B. THICKEN. C. BLACKEN. 2. Justice Walter Buch wrote, "I like to be unequivocal. A judge cannot opalesce in all possible _____." A. colors B. genres C. languages Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A 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:    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.