Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SCINTILLATE
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Yesterday I brought up some words (abstruse, caliginous, obfuscated, and recondite) that use darkness as a metaphor for things that are hard to understand.
Just as often, we use use light and brightness as metaphors for things that are easy to understand or simply wonderful. Today's scintillate falls in that category.
Recently we took a look at scintilla, meaning a speck, sparkle, or tiny amount. Change that into a verb and you get the beautiful scintillate: to sparkle, to shine.
You might file scintillate away in your mind with beamish, elucidate (and lucid), illustrious, lambent, and undimmed. For each, could you recall the literal meaning related to light or brightness, as well as the figurative meaning?
make your point with...
"SCINTILLATE"
Literally, to scintillate is to twinkle or sparkle.
Figuratively, to scintillate is to be brilliant: to "shine" with energy, wit, or any other wonderful quality.
Pronunciation:
SIN tuh late.
(Notice that you don't pronounce the "c," like in "scissors" and "scintilla.")
Part of speech:
Verb.
It's usually intransitive: someone or something scintillates.
Other forms:
Scintillated, scintillating, scintillation.
"Scintillescent" means the same thing as "scintillating," so I recommend sticking with "scintillating."
How to use it:
Be literal or figurative when you talk about things that scintillate, like diamonds or the ocean or a lamp, or eyes or words or movement.
Something can scintillate with something else: her dress scintillates with jewels, his eyes scintillate with happiness, the poem scintillates with wit.
The adjective is especially handy. Call something scintillating when it's so wonderful, energetic, or brilliant that it seems to sparkle: a scintillating conversation, a scintillating book, a scintillating performance.
examples:
I love how jewelry stores have that clever overhead lighting that makes every piece scintillate.
Mark Forsyth's books about language scintillate with intellect and humor.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "scintillate" means when you can explain it without saying "glitter" or "shimmer."
try it out:
Think of a time you were not just entertained but impressed or dazzled by something, like a conversation, a book, a movie, or a video clip. Fill in the blanks: "With scintillating (humor, wit, confidence, joy, or wisdom), (somebody did something)."
Example: "With scintillating humor, Kristen Bell in her 'Pinksourcing' video highlights the injustice of unequal pay for women."
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.
This month, we're playing with rhyming puzzles as we review previous words.
Examples: Someone who belts out songs in church with great gusto has ____ ___. Answer: hymn vim. And the barbecue place where you always meet up with your friends from Dallas and Houston is your _____ _____. Answer: Texas nexus. The puzzles, and their answers, will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. Click or mouse-over the link to the clue if you need it, and see each answer the following day. Enjoy!
From yesterday: An ideal environment for a large tree-dwelling lizard--one in which this creature is perfectly happy and peaceful--could be called ______ _______. (Two words, three syllables each. Clue: use this word.)
Answer: iguana nirvana.
Try this today: At work, the higher-ups have suddenly made all sorts of changes, moving employees from department to department willy-nilly. It's caused confusion, commotion, and crankiness. It's a _________ _________. (Two words, three syllables each. Clue: use this word.)
review today's word:
1. One opposite of SCINTILLATE is
A. TO BORE
B. TO LOOK
C. TO WAVE
2. The kids aimed their _____ at _____ to better see it scintillate.
A. telescopes .. the star
B. binoculars .. the branch
C. magnifying glasses .. the line of ants
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. A
2. A
Yesterday I brought up some words (abstruse, caliginous, obfuscated, and recondite) that use darkness as a metaphor for things that are hard to understand.
"SCINTILLATE" Literally, to scintillate is to twinkle or sparkle. Part of speech:
I love how jewelry stores have that clever overhead lighting that makes every piece scintillate.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "scintillate" means when you can explain it without saying "glitter" or "shimmer."
Think of a time you were not just entertained but impressed or dazzled by something, like a conversation, a book, a movie, or a video clip. Fill in the blanks: "With scintillating (humor, wit, confidence, joy, or wisdom), (somebody did something)."
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.
1. One opposite of SCINTILLATE is
To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
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