Make Your Point > Archived Issues > REVIVIFY

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connect today's word to others: Revivify joins our list of terms based on the Latin vivus, alive. Can you recall each? 1. Viv____y is cheerful liveliness. 2. Viv_ v__e (a 2-word phrase) means "in the living voice: said out loud (not written down)." 3. ______viv__ (also a 2-word phrase) is knowledge of how to live the good life, or the ability to enjoy life's pleasures. 4. To be on the ____viv_ (2-word phrase) is to be on the lookout for something, or to be very alert and aware. 5. Cited as a favorite by many readers, ____ de viv__ (3-word phrase) is the joy of living, that happy enjoyment you get from living your wonderful life. (To reveal a word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "REVIVIFY" To vivify something is to bring it to life, or to make it seem alive by filling it with light, color, activity, or attractiveness. And to revivify something is to bring it back to life, or to make it seem alive again by bringing back its light, color, activity, or attractiveness.  Pronunciation: ree VIV uh fy Part of speech: Verb, usually the transitive kind ("they revivified the program") but sometimes the intransitive kind ("the program revivified"). Other forms: revivified, revivifying, revivification/revivication, revivifier(s) How to use it: If the more clear, basic, common word "revive" would work better for your idea, pick that one. But when you need to call special attention to your idea, pick "revivify." (And if you need to be emphatic but strike a tone that's more clinical or physical, pick "resuscitate.") Talk about people, things, actions, words, and situations that revivify things. (You can talk literally about revivifying, say, corpses or dead tissue, but we'll stick to figurative usage.) What is it that we can revivify? Anything that used to be full of "life," or active, thriving, interesting activity. That includes debates, discussions, and controversies; markets, industries, and economies; professional and academic fields; emotions, like hope and encouragement; and aspects of ourselves, like the mind, brain, heart, soul, spirit, and, of course, vocabulary. (If you're talking about breathing life into something that was never alive or interesting in the first place, use "vivify" instead.) You can also talk about revivifying effects, miracles, or powers: "the revivifying effects of economic reforms," "the revivifying powers of cashews." examples: For extroverts, parties are revivifying. For us introverts, they drain us; we need days to recover. "Exhibit A is a savory yogurt-filled bonbon teetering on an absinthe spoon above a coupe of fennel juice, green apple, celery and absinthe: a bite and a sip as revivifying as they are regal."    — Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post, 15 April 2016 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "revivify" without saying "enliven" or "reawaken." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "After (being inspired in a certain way), I (worked on something) with a revivified zeal." Example: "After being captivated by the banjo and fiddle in the bluegrass band, I picked up my ukulele with a revivified zeal." 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. Complete the Limerick! In each issue this month, finish off the last line of the poem with a word or phrase we've checked out before. From the previous issue: She sketches contraptions mesmerical. She dreams up flight plans atmospherical. She won't be deterred By the naysayers' words That label her efforts chimerical. Try this one today: This know-it-all: never comedic. His fact-sharing: never strategic. No matter the topic, Your story, he’ll top it. His knowledge is ___________. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of REVIVIFICATION is A. AMALGAMATION. B. IMMOLATION. C. TREPIDATION. 2. The _____ news revivified his courage. A. reassuring B. threatening C. rapidly changing 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. A