Make Your Point > Archived Issues > VADE MECUM

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connect today's word to others: Vamoose! Vámonos! (Let's go!) Those words come from vadere, Latin for "to go," a root that shows up also in evade, invade, our word ___vas___ ("so present, and so widespread, that it seems to have gone everywhere"), and today's vade mecum, literally "go with me." Your vade mecum is your trusty handbook, your reference book at-the-ready, or any other useful object you always have. If you don't leave home without it, it's your vade mecum. Your go-with-me. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "VADE MECUM" Latin for "go with me," a vade mecum is a handbook, a guidebook, a reference book, or any useful item that you carry around with you. Pronunciation: I recommend "VOD ay MAY come." (Dictionaries list several other ways.) Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "a vade mecum," "this vade mecum," "we used it as our vade mecum." Other forms: None. We don't really need a plural form. How to use it: If you want, you can italicize this phrase, or use a hyphen, or both (vade-mecum). I don't, though. Some people capitalize it, too: "Vade Mecum." Why? This phrase has been used as the title of certain reference books, such as the snooze-inducing Vade Mecum: A Manuall of Essayes Morrall, Theologicall. So, in reference to that tradition, some writers use the capital letters. Talk about someone's vade mecum, or say that someone carries something as his vade mecum. Or, point out how something becomes a vade mecum, serves as a vade mecum, proves valuable as a vade mecum, etc. Often you refer to something as a vade mecum for the person or people it serves ("a vade mecum for guitar players," "this vade mecum for students of poetry"), or sometimes a vade mecum of the group of people it serves ("a vade mecum of tea enthusiasts"). You can also refer to something as a vade mecum for (or to) a certain topic: "this vade mecum for investment decisions," "a vade mecum to the hip shopping districts of Houston." To be more figurative, refer to some other useful object (or abstraction) as your vade mecum: maybe your cell phone, your eye shadow palette, your conscience, your love of music, or your patience with children who are trying to learn. examples: They Say/I Say shows academic writers exactly what to write, when, where, and why, and the fact that the volume itself is so slim makes it the perfect vade mecum for college students. "[Heinrich Heine's poems] are the vade mecum of modern life in all its moods and variations."    — Gustav Karpeles, Jewish Literature and Other Essays, 1895 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "vade mecum" without saying "guidebook" or "necessity." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone's) vade mecum is _____." Example 1: "Ford Prefect's vade mecum is the electronic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Example 2: "Kevin's vade mecum was his Talkboy tape recorder and player, which he used to deepen his voice and impersonate an adult on the phone." 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: Your childhood memories can't be priced. The foods you loved best were the highlights Of your red-letter days, and Now just their taste Recreates for you your childhood zeitgeist. Try this one today: Repairing a house makes you way tense. All those stray dollars and stray cents Slip-sliding away, Making you want to say, "Let’s hold this whole thing in ________." review today's word: 1. A close opposite of VADE MECUM is A. ITEM STORED AND USED AT HOME. B. ITEM CONCEALED ON YOUR PERSON. C. ITEM DONATED IN LIEU OF AN ADMISSION FEE. 2. Harry Potter's vade mecum: his _____. A. best friend, Ron B. cloak of invisibility C. scar on his forehead 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. A 2. B