Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RESUSCITATE

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connect today's word to others: To resuscitate people and things is to bring them back to life. Inside that word, you can see three Latin roots:   1. re = "again,"   2. sub = "(from) under," and   3. citare = "to call, to summon, or to move." We can use that last root, citare, to connect some dots: to be excited is to be set in motion, and to cite something is to summon it, an almost magical process--which, for me at least, is a fact that makes those Works Cited lists way less boring. Look back at those three roots in resuscitate, and see if you can build a common word by combining the first and third root. And while we're talking about citare, see if you can recall this word: to i_____ something is to cause it to happen by stirring it up or urging it on. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "RESUSCITATE" To resuscitate people or things is    to bring them back to life,    to make them new and exciting again, or    to bring them back to the public's attention. Pronunciation: rih SUSS uh tate (or "ree SUSS uh tate") Part of speech: Transitive verb. (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 resuscitate something or someone.) Other common forms: resuscitated, resuscitating; resuscitation; resuscitative How to use it: First, let's compare it to "revive." "Resuscitate" is longer, clunkier, harder to spell, more medical-sounding, and about twenty times rarer, and that's a boatload of valid reasons for picking "revive" instead. But because "revive" is so common, we don't really pay attention to it when we hear it. Pick "resuscitate," then, when you need to grab your listeners' attention, to make them think, "Wow, brought back from the dead, brought back to life." You might talk literally about paramedics or other medical professionals resuscitating people, bringing them literally back to life. But, we'll focus on figurative usage. Talk about resuscitating anything that seems dead or dying because it's become boring, it's gone downhill, it's stopped or it's been cancelled, or it's been forgotten about. More specifically, talk about people (and people's actions) resuscitating ideas, plans, projects, talents, skills, careers, campaigns, interests, feelings, relationships, companies, industries, economies, legislation, endangered species, etc. Let's say we're talking about a television show, like Arrested Development, that's getting resuscitated (brought back for new episodes after it had been cancelled). Sometimes we also extend the metaphor by saying things like this: "the show was on life support," "the show was close to death," "bringing all the characters back together was supposed to breathe new life into the show, but even that couldn't resuscitate it." examples: New Spider-Man movies keep coming out. Don't we typically wait for a franchise to die before we resuscitate it? "Trying to resuscitate Harvey’s career, the Mets moved him and his 6.00 earned run average from the starting rotation to the bullpen nearly two weeks ago." — James Wagner, The New York Times, 4 May 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "resuscitate" means when you can explain it without saying "revive" or "revitalize." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "The only thing that could resuscitate (someone's or something's) reputation is _____." Example: "The only thing that could resuscitate her reputation is a strong performance in a new role--along with costars who testify to her professional behavior." 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. Uncommon Opposites! In each issue this month, I'll give you a rare word and its definition, and you come up with its more familiar opposite. For example, if I say, "To exfiltrate is to secretly withdraw people from a dangerous situation," then you come up with the opposite: "infiltrate." Or if I say, "An allograph is something written by someone other than the person concerned," then you come up with "autograph." We'll take these in order from easy to hard as the month goes on. Ready? From our previous issue: According to Jewish law, something tref is unclean and not fit for eating. What’s the opposite? Answer: Kosher. Try this today: Someone alterocentric (or allocentric) lives for others, focusing attention and interest on them. What’s the opposite? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of RESUSCITATE is A. SEVER. B. HUNT. C. KILL. 2. Although the _____ deserves resuscitation, no one can provide the necessary _____. A. criminal .. evidence B. species .. firepower C. community center .. funding 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. C 2. C