Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PENTIMENTO
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pronounce
PENTIMENTO:
Say it "PEN tuh MEN toe."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Let's talk about layers!
A pa___a is a thin layer of anything, especially the encrustation that builds up over time on metal and stone. (Gorgeous!) Figuratively, it's a built-up layer of some quality.
And a pa___psest is something that reminds you of a used and re-used writing surface: it's something that has layers, and some of those layers are diverse, complicated, and totally or partially hidden.
Finally, a pentimento is a glimpse of an artist's mistake, or a glimpse of the art that's layered underneath the work on the canvas--mostly hidden, but peeping through. This word pentimento comes straight from Italian, where it means "a correction, a change of opinion, or an instance of remorse or repentance." You can trace it further back to the Latin pænitere, "to feel regret," which is why it looks a bit like repent, penance, penitence, and penitentiary.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
In oil paintings, a pentimento is a spot where you can see that the artist changed their mind about something and re-painted it a different way.
Check out the pentimento below from Leonardo da Vinci's painting Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World). You can see where he first drew Christ's thumb as straight, then changed his mind and made it curved.
Pentimenti like this (yup, the plural is "pentimenti," pronounced "PEN tuh MEN tee") might show up as shadowy, ghostly images that you can see by looking closely. Or they might show up only over time, as the painting ages. Or, they might show up only with the help of tools like X-rays or infrared photography.
With all this in mind, you can use "pentimento" figuratively to mean "a hidden or partly hidden sign or indication of the way things are or used to be."
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "You can see a pentimento right here;" "White pigments may show pentimenti because these pigments absorb little light (Thomas B. Brill)."
Other forms:
Just the plural, "pentimenti."
There's no official adjective or adverb, so I suggest we all start using "pentimental," and "pentimentally," and see if they catch on.
how to use it:
"Pentimento" is a rare word, with a serious, artistic tone.
You might use it literally to talk about art, as in "This work is the original, not a copy; you can see a pentimento right here."
And you might use it figuratively to talk about partially visible truths about the present or the past, as in both examples below.
examples:
"Alabama's flag is a giant crimson X, Saint Andrew's Cross, that's almost a pentimento of the Confederate flag."
— Karen Heller, Washington Post, 1 July 2019
"We come to know intimately a wide cast of characters — dealers and users, cops crooked and straight, survivors of human trafficking and their tormentors. As in a painter's pentimento, they peep though the present narrative, subtly revealing the author's awareness of the world's cruel ironies."
— Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 15 October 2020
has this page helped you understand "pentimento"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "pentimento" without saying "artistic do-over" or "ghostly reappearance."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Some person's old, longstanding, or partially hidden flaw, talent, characteristic, addiction, or obsession) showed through like a pentimento."
Example 1: "On the rare occasion when she got impatient on the phone, her Tennessee accent showed through like a pentimento."
Example 2: "[Anthony Bourdain] was a bad boy who never quite reformed from drugs... It showed through like a pentimento."
— Robert A. Berezin, Medscape, 13 June 2018
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 this month is Obits Tidbits!
Check out a tidbit from the obituary of an extraordinary person, and see if you can name who it was. To see the answer, scroll all the way down.
From the Washington Post: "He sang but more often shrieked with falsetto whoops and an electrifying gospel fervor. He pounded the piano with one leg in the air."
If you need some hints, highlight the hidden white text below.
This obituary was published on… May 9th, 2020.
This person's initials are… L. R.
review this word:
A. JOCULAR.
B. PATTERNED.
C. IMMACULATE.
2.
John McPhee described a general with "five stars in pentimento on his shoulders," meaning the stars seemed to _____.
A. crowd each other, cramming into a small space
B. reveal themselves partially, having faded with time
C. call full attention to themselves, threaded in shimmering gold
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.
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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.
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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.
Let's talk about layers!
In oil paintings, a pentimento is a spot where you can see that the artist changed their mind about something and re-painted it a different way.
Part of speech:
"Pentimento" is a rare word, with a serious, artistic tone.
"Alabama's flag is a giant crimson X, Saint Andrew's Cross, that's almost a pentimento of the Confederate flag."
Explain the meaning of "pentimento" without saying "artistic do-over" or "ghostly reappearance."
Fill in the blanks: "(Some person's old, longstanding, or partially hidden flaw, talent, characteristic, addiction, or obsession) showed through like a pentimento."
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.
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. |