Make Your Point > Archived Issues > REBUKE

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explore the archives: The roots of today's word, "rebuke," mean "beat back." Today, rebuking is something you do with words, though around the year 1500, it was done with spears! We'll look at lots of other words starting with "re-," meaning "back" or "again." Could you recall the other one we've already covered? It's an adjective meaning "so unpleasant that you want to get away from it quickly," and it's derived from a French term meaning "to repel your enemy by getting all up in his face." make your point with... "REBUKE" To rebuke things or to rebuke people is to scold them harshly or point out how bad they are. Pronunciation: ruh BYUKE Part of speech: Often a verb, the transitive kind. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you rebuke something or someone.) It's also a noun. You can treat it as countable ("a rebuke") or uncountable ("such rebuke"). Other forms: Rebuked, rebuking; rebukes. There are more, but they sound awful: rebukeful, rebuker, rebukingly. How to use it: There are plenty of words that mean "scold" or "criticize," so when does the situation call for "rebuke" in particular? Well, the roots of this word mean to "beat back," so pick "rebuke" when it's like someone's using words to smack someone while saying "No! That's bad! Don't do that!" It's a harsh term, but not as harsh as some other synonyms for "reprimand," such as lacerate. To use the verb, talk about rebuking someone or something, often for some fault or bad deed: "His teachers rebuke him for laziness." "I've continually rebuked this publication for its blatant lack of consistency." For the noun, talk about issuing a rebuke to the person or thing that deserves it, getting a rebuke, facing a rebuke, countering someone's criticism with a stern rebuke of your own, etc. Although you usually think of rebukes as individual comments that scold or find fault, you can also think of rebuke as a concept, too: "such harsh rebuke," "this mild rebuke," "words of rebuke," "a sting of rebuke." examples: Turning to the Amazon reviews, I saw that other readers had already rebuked the author for her careless assumptions of causation from correlation. She's a psych major; she should know better. Twitter: the world's most efficient way of saying horrible stuff, then getting rebuked. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "rebuke" means when you can explain it without saying "reprimand" or "a dressing-down." try it out: Think of something you could never get away with doing when you were a kid, and fill in the blanks: "My attempts to (do something) always met with rebuke from (someone)." Example: "My attempts to answer comprehension questions with one lazy word, instead of a complete sentence, always met with rebuke from teachers." 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 aggravate, grave, gravitate, gravity, and gravitas, what does “grav” mean? Answer: Heavy.  Try this one today: In adjourn, journal, journey, and sojourn, what does “journ” mean?  review today's word: 1. The opposite of REBUKE is A. INGEST B. COMMEND C. ADMONISH 2.  At the tail end of his presentation, his _____ _____ into the room to deliver a rebuke. A. employee glanced B. opponent barged C. assistant slipped 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. B