Make Your Point > Archived Issues > REBARBATIVE

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explore the archives: Since today's "rebarbative" means "repellent and disagreeable," you might wonder if the word is related to "barbarian" and "barbarous." Nope! It's actually related to "barber" and "beard," though! We got today's word from a French term meaning to repel your enemy: to get right up in his face--beard to beard. While we're on the subject of hair (and extreme closeness!), can you recall a precise noun meaning "a really, really tiny distance or really, really tiny space"? make your point with... "REBARBATIVE" Rebarbative people and things are so unpleasant that you just want to get away from them quickly. Pronunciation: ruh BAR buh tiv (or "ruh BAR buh div") 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 "rebarbative manners." 2. After a linking verb, as in "Their manners were rebarbative.") Other forms: "Rebarbativity" is the noun I recommend using; you can use "rebarbativeness" if you prefer. The adverb is "rebarbatively." How to use it: Talk about rebarbative people and personalities, rebarbative comments and manners, rebarbative phrases and writing styles and leadership styles, rebarbative situations and places, rebarbative systems and processes, and so on. examples: Her stiff trudge through the sales pitch had a rebarbative quality that I can't quite describe. I excused myself as soon as she paused. The opening pages of the novel were so rebarbative that I didn't even finish Chapter 1. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "rebarbative" means when you can explain it without saying "repellent" or "objectionable." try it out: Think of the last time you noticed something or someone that made you think, "Ugh, really? No, just no," and fill in the blank: "I found _____ (a little / really / utterly) rebarbative." Example: "I found the writer's reckless disregard for punctuation a little rebarbative." 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. When it comes to word roots, everybody knows what some of them mean, like “ambi/amphi” (“both”) and “circum” (“around”) and “hetero” (“different”). This knowledge helps you explain why words like “automobile” and “autobiography” look similar—in this case, it’s because they both involve the concept of “self.” But what about some of the less obvious roots? Could you explain, for example, why “contain” looks so much like “sustain” by defining “tain”? This month, we're exploring the meanings underlying common words you know. You can usually figure these out by looking for an extremely basic concept common to all the words in each group. We’ll start with easier, more obvious roots and move on to trickier ones as the month goes on! Yesterday's question:  In aspect, circumspect, expect, inspect, introspection, specimen, spectrum, suspect, spectacle, spectator, and speculate, what does “spec” mean? Answer: To look at. Try this one today: In aspire, conspire, expire, inspire, perspire, and spirit, what does “spir” mean?  review today's word: 1. The opposite of REBARBATIVE is A. BALD B. ENTICING C. INTELLECTUAL 2. Thanks to its association with _____, this particular food remains rebarbative to him. A. outdoor barbecues B. that fun impromptu dinner date C. that time he got so sick after eating it 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. B 2. C