Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TRANSPICUOUS

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connect today's word to others: Transpicuous? It's new to me, too. I discovered it quietly waiting for us in the pages of Webster's Ninth. You probably don't need to read the definition; you probably recognize that it's a Latin blend of trans, meaning "across" (just like we see in transient, transitory, and transmogrify), and specere, meaning "to look at" (just like we see in conspicuous, perspective, spectator, aspect, spy, and so on). So you probably realize right away that something transpicuous is clear or easily seen, as if it's looking right across at you, or you're looking right across at it. Could you recall some more familiar synonyms of transpicuous? Here are a few, along with their more precise meanings: 1. Pal___le: so clear it's like you can touch it. 2. Man____t: so clear it's like you can grab it with your hand. 3. Pel___id: so clear it's like you can see light shining through it. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "TRANSPICUOUS" Something transpicuous is clear and plain, or easy to notice. Pronunciation: tran SPICK you us 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 transpicuous thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was transpicuous.") Other forms: transpicuously How to use it: "Transpicuous" provides a beautiful alternative to--and blend of--"transparent" and "conspicuous."  It's very rare, and a bit poetic. I recommend saving it for a formal or serious occasion.  Talk about transpicuous distant objects (ones that you can see easily even though they're far away), transpicuous insight, transpicuous feelings (such as transpicuous love or transpicuous contempt), transpicuous words and language, and things with a transpicuous meaning. Or, talk about things becoming transpicuous, or about rendering something transpicuous. You can also talk about people writing transpicuously or speaking transpicuously. examples: It seems petty to insist on correcting his grammar when his meaning is always transpicuous. At night, as we drove halfway up Mauna Kea to the observatory, the elevation rendered the stars so transpicuous that we fell in a silent awe. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "transpicuous" means when you can explain it without saying "obvious" or "comprehensible." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "I appreciate how (someone) (speaks or writes) transpicuously about (some complicated topic)." Example: "I appreciate how Maryanne Wolf writes transpicuously about the structures and processes in the human brain." 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, see if you can associate a snippet of song lyrics with a word we’ve studied before. For example, here's Dave Matthews: "Wasting time, let the hours roll by doing nothing for the fun. A little taste of the good life." Those lyrics call to mind the word LOTUS-EATING. From our previous issue:  In "Somebody That I Used to Know," Gotye sings: "But you didn't have to cut me off Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing And I don't even need your love But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough... Now you're just somebody that I used to know." Do those lyrics call to mind the word NASCENT, NONENTITY, or NUMINOUS? Why? Answer: NONENTITY. An entity is a thing: something that exists. And that means a nonentity is a non-thing, something that doesn't exist, or a person who doesn't matter in the least. Ouch. Try this today: In "Where I Find My Heaven," the members of a band with a name I can't print here sing: "And a whispered word in my spirit lies. And the sacred moments of silliness are Where I find my heaven Where I find my heaven Where I find my heaven Heaven." Do those lyrics call to mind the word NIRVANA, ELEPHANTIASIS, or CAMARADERIE? Why? review today's word: 1. The opposite of TRANSPICUOUS is A. LAUDABLE. B. OPAQUE. C. RECUMBENT. 2. _____ filled his stories with transpicuous invented words, like _____ A. H. P. Lovecraft .. "meep." B. Lewis Carroll .. "manxome." C. Roald Dahl .. "scrumdiddlyumptious." 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. C