Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PERFIDIOUS

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connect today's word to others: Perfidious people betray the faith you placed in them. Notice how perfidious looks like other words related to the idea of faith, like fidelity, bona fide ("in good faith"), and semper fidelis ("always faithful"). Even though someone perfidious is faithless, untrustworthy, a backstabber, a re___er (a breaker of promises) and so on, the word perfidious literally means "through faith." Does that seem odd to you? Don't you think it should literally mean "without faith"? Well, it also kind of does! We got perfidious from the Latin phrase per fidem decipere, which means "to deceive through faith." (Think of how perfidious people take advantage of the trust we've placed in them: they deceive through faith.) That phrase per fidem decipere turned into the Latin word perfidus, which simply meant "non-believing" or "faithless," before it gave us our English words, perfidy and perfidious. So, you can say that perfidious people are faithless OR that they deceive via faith. How ra___ious! (How greedy and self-serving!) What dia____ie! (What devilish behavior!) (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PERFIDIOUS" Perfidy ("PUR fuh dee") is untrustworthiness, the breaking of a promise, or the betrayal of someone's trust. So, someone or something perfidious is sneaky, tricky, and betrays other people's trust. Pronunciation: pur FID ee us Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a perfidious thing" or "a perfidious person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was perfidious." or "She was perfidious.") Other forms: The adverb is "perfidiously." For the noun, although we most often use "perfidy," we can also use "perfidity" and "perfidiousness." But why would we? "Perfidy" is shorter. How to use it: This word has a strong negative tone. Can you hear how, when you say it, it's almost like spitting? PerFIDious! Talk about perfidious people and personalities, perfidious behaviors and dealings, perfidious policies and governments, perfidious cover-ups, perfidious tricks and games and schemes, and perfidious attacks and violence. To use the noun, talk about an act of perfidy, someone's perfidy, the perfidy of someone, or someone who's notorious for perfidy. examples: In Braveheart, a perfidious ally defeats William Wallace. As readers, we were on edge, wondering if Snape would turn out to be the perfidious coward we suspected he was. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "perfidious" means when you can explain it without saying "treacherous" or "disloyal." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "It's perfidious that (someone) (did something)." Example: "It's perfidious that they attacked us right when we were doing them a favor." 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 some beautifully worded passages from the Bible as we recall words we've studied before. From our previous issue: "A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to a______ from embracing." (The Septuagint, Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verse 5.) What's the missing word? It means "to use your self-control as you willingly decide NOT to do something." Answer: abstain. Try this today: "The f_____ ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice." (English Standard Version, Proverbs, chapter 13, verse 23.) What's the missing word? It means "unused, even though it could be useful or it could develop." review today's word: 1. One opposite of PERFIDIOUS is A. ALLEGED. B. ALLEGIANT. C. ALLEGORICAL. 2. Revealing his perfidious nature, the new CEO _____. A. obtained a better health care plan for every employee B. charmed, then immediately swindled, the shareholders C. restructured the workflow, causing temporary chaos, then permanent improvements 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. B 2. B