Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ALEATORY

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: When Caesar crossed the Rubicon, he said "Alea iacta est:" "the die is cast." In other words, he knew he had reached the point of no return: the wa_____ed, or the point where everything changes; the step he had just taken was a fa__ acc_____, or a step that's been taken and can't be taken back. Let's look again at "Alea iacta est." The "alea" part means "a die," and something aleatory depends on a roll of the dice. Aleatory things, in other words, are a gamble. They're based on chance. Which metaphor do you like better: rolling the dice, or spinning the wheel of fortune? Something that seems based purely on fortune is for______, a close synonym of aleatory. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "ALEATORY" The literal meaning of "aleatory" is "depending on the roll of a die." Something aleatory is random, based on luck or chance, or based on things you can't predict or control. Pronunciation: AY lee uh tore ee Part of speech: Adjectives. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "an aleatory thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was aleatory.") Other forms: None are common. How to use it: This word often has a negative tone.  You might talk about aleatory decisions and decrees, aleatory conditions and circumstances, an aleatory method or an aleatory way of doing things, an aleatory process, the aleatory flow of your thoughts, and so on. You can also say that something has an aleatory nature or aspect. Or, talk in general about "the aleatory" in life, or the aleatory element of life. Lastly, we also use "aleatory" in a few specific ways. Aleatory art and aleatory music are created with random elements thrown together haphazardly. And in law, an aleatory contract depends on some other condition being fulfilled. examples: The essay was a wreck, a mishmash of paragraphs that seemed to follow nothing but the aleatory drift of the writer's thoughts.  To dismiss tragedies with a breezy "everything happens for a reason" seems to me a strange, if not lazy, way of thinking about the aleatory aspect of life. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "aleatory" means when you can explain it without saying "random" or "based on chance." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "_____ is an aleatory process: (explain how it works)." Example: "Admissions there is an aleatory process: anyone who fills out a complete application enters a drawing, regardless of merit." 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 "Coiners & Coinages." Use your knowledge of science, history, literature, and vocabulary as you match newly coined words to the people who coined them, and vice versa. Let's do this! From our previous issue: If you lived in San Francisco in 1915, you could subscribe, for a dollar per year, to the weekly Pacific Dairy Review. The editor of this quaint publication was known only as "A Dairyman." Did this Dairyman coin the word BUTTERY, CONSUMERISM, or REFRIGERATION? Answer: CONSUMERISM. Here's the Dairyman: "In the end crusaderism will stand for consumerism and the demand for milk in the cities, and producerism will stand in possession of the supply of milk." (Sounds a little clunky, doesn't it?) Were you thinking it was REFRIGERATION? Interestingly, that word first showed up much earlier, in a 1471 text about alchemy. Try this today:  Specifically in reference to a place in space that pulls all nearby matter and radiation into it, was the term BLACK HOLE coined by Galileo, John Wheeler, or Carl Sagan? review today's word: 1. One opposite of ALEATORY is A. METHODICAL. B. SPORTING. C. HAZY. 2.  The painting seemed _____, as if the artist had _____ the colors into an aleatory arrangement. A. muted .. slid B. tender .. gathered C. incohesive .. slapped 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. C