Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SCARIFY

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connect today's word to others: Our word scarify looks (and sounds) like it should mean "to scare people," and in fact scarify has become a slang term for "to scare, to terrify." But we're focused on its older, more formal meaning--which is more about scars than scares. To scarify something is to make a lot of little cuts or scrapes in it, and the word traces back to a Greek one meaning "a pencil or a stylus." So, scarify might be related to lots of words about scribbling, scribing, and describing, including our word ____script, which means "not interesting, not easy to put into a category, or lacking any easy-to-notice features." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "SCARIFY" To scarify something is to cover it with lots of small scratches or cuts. Figuratively, to scarify people is to hurt them emotionally, especially with mean comments. Pronunciation: SCARE if eye 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 scarify something or someone.) Other forms: scarified, scarifying, scarifyingly, scarification(s), scarifier(s)/scarificator(s) How to use it: This is an unusual word, and it's possible your readers or listeners will misunderstand it as "to scare." So I suggest, when you use this word, that you make sure there's enough context so people know what you mean. You might use the word literally if you're talking about farming, medicine, woodworking, road-laying, body modification, etc. Otherwise, talk figuratively about people who scarify each other, or about criticism and comments that scarify people. examples: In ninth grade, he resented his classmates: it was their onslaught of petty little insults that scarified him. When she dropped her lunch tray, splattering milk and spaghetti onto her dress and the floor, I joined in on the scarifying laughter. I still regret that. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "scarify" means when you can explain it without saying "wound emotionally" or "cut someone's feelings." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Something emotionally harmful that happens regularly) has scarified (someone's) (pride or heart)." Example: "Going in to work every day, knowing he's overqualified for the job but unable to land anything better, has scarified his pride." 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. Our game this month is called "Quirky Keepers."  We’ll play with a bunch of bizarre, oddly specific words—words that deserve a place in our vocabulary, even though they're too wacky and rare to explore in full issues of Make Your Point. (I found most of these words in Charles Harrington Elster’s outrageously entertaining book, There’s A Word For It: A Grandiloquent Guide to Life.) Our goal as we play is to squirrel the words away in our memories. So, in each issue, we’ll check out a word; in the following issue, I’ll give you a new example of that word, and you see if you can recall it. We’ll start with short words and work our way up to the six-, seven-, and eight-syllable doozies. See if you can recall the word from the previous issue: At first you're shocked, but then you shrug it off with a laugh: someone on Yelp who fancies herself a restaurant critic has posted a terrible review of your restaurant, full of petty complaints and crude attempts at wit. What noun describes this kind of person? (It's four syllables.) See the answer by scrolling all the way down. Today, let’s check out the word "matroclinous." From roots that mean "mother" and "lean," "matroclinous" describes a living being who resembles its mother more than its father. Remember, in the next issue I’ll give you an example of a matroclinous person, animal, or plant, without mentioning the word—and you’ll try to recall it. That'll help you keep it in your memory. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of SCARIFY is A. RAZE. B. SATE. C. SALVE. 2. Refusing to apologize for it, bringing it up again and again, she kept the same scarification _____. A. ablaze B. back C. open 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. Answer to the game question: She's a criticaster. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C