Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SERE (& SEAR)

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connect today's word to others: Douglas Harper, the editor at EtymOnline.com, calls sere a "good word now relegated to bad poetry." Oh, snap! So what does it mean? Something faded, wilted, drooping, decaying, or withering is sere. And yes, it's a poetic word. When you see sere, think of death and old age, autumn and the color yellow. Here's Macbeth near the end of his story: "My way of life/ Is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf." And here's Lord Byron copying Macbeth: "My days are in the yellow leaf." So emo, right? Let's recall a poetic word nearly opposite to sere, one that suggests birth and youth, springtime and the color green. It's v___al. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "SERE" Something sere is all dried-up and withered. Or, it just seems all dried-up and withered because it's old and doesn't have much energy left. And, to sear something (notice the different spelling) is to burn it, to dry it out--literally or figuratively. Pronunciation: SEAR. (Rhymes with EAR, HEAR, and FEAR.) Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a sere thing" or "a sere person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was sere" or "He was sere.") Other forms: In older texts, you'll see "sere" spelled "sear" or "seare."   How to use it: Keep in mind that "sere" is poetic and dramatic. It works better when it's written, not spoken. Be literal and write about sere grass and sere leaves, sere trees and sere hills, or a sere landscape, like a sere desert or the sere edges of the woods. Or, be figurative. You can be sere (be aged and withered), or feel sere (feel old and lacking in energy or creativity). You can write about sere nights, sere autumns and winters, sere homes, sere lives, and sere generations. And you can listen with a sigh to sere conversations or stories. "Sere" is closely related to "sear," as in "to burn something, to dry something up." Figuratively, you can use the verb "sear" to mean "to make something dry up and lose all feeling," as in "to sear your feelings," "to sear the human heart," "to sear one's conscience," and "to sear his sympathy." (Add "up" if you like: "to sear up the human heart.") Because this "sear" is so closely related to our main word "sere," we'll focus on it, too, in this issue. examples: The house seemed abandoned, the faded kitchen wallpaper peeling up in the corners, a bowl of sere apples lying on the dusty table. It may not be that wealth and privilege have seared his heart; it may be, instead, that he's too far away from the needy to hear their cries for help. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "sere" means when you can explain it without saying "dry" or "no longer in the prime of life." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "_____ has/had/have grown into a sere landscape of _____." Literal example: "The back yard had grown into a sere landscape of dry leaves and patches of bare dusty dirt among the remaining grass." Figurative example: "His albums have grown into a sere landscape of slow, sluggish, repetitive songs about missed opportunities and lingering regrets." 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 Banishing Bland Adjectives. In each issue, we're strengthening our word-finding skills as we take aim at a vague little adjective and think up three ways to make it more specific. Resist the urge to sneak off to the thesaurus! From the previous issue: SWEET. 1. When people seem SWEET because they treat others with care and kindness, then instead of SWEET, call them _____. 2. When people seem SWEET because they do good deeds, display excellent morals, and treat everyone with kindness, then instead of SWEET, call them _____. 3. When things seem SWEET, but too sweet for your own taste, then instead of SWEET, call them _____. Suggested answers: 1, gentle; 2, angelic; 3, syrupy. (Your answers might be different but just as precise.) Today: RUDE. 1. When people seem RUDE because they make funny little jokes or comments that seem slightly inappropriate, then instead of RUDE, call them _____. 2. When people seem RUDE because they have terrible manners, as if they never learned the right way to speak with people, then instead of RUDE, call them _____. 3. When people seem RUDE because they say exactly what they think without bothering to pick gentle words, then instead of RUDE, call them _____. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of SERE is A. UNDULANT B. VIVACIOUS C. WHEEZING 2. Ten years of providing technical support to the rude, the impatient, the irascible, and even the vengeful have utterly seared _____. A. his sympathies B. him into madness C. his ability to stay on script and take nothing personally 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