Make Your Point > Archived Issues > APERCU
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pronounce
APERCU:
Say it "APP ur SOO."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Someone who spouts off apercus--that is, insightful little comments--is probably a per____ent person: that is, they're quick to notice and understand everything, especially the fine differences between things.
That word, per____ent, is closely related to apercu. They have to do with perception: with seeing the world, grasping it, and understanding it.
By the way, have you noticed that the words perception and perceive break down into Latin roots meaning "to thoroughly grasp"? Makes a lot of sense, right?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Our word "apercu" crossed over into English in 1821 from French, where it means "perceived."
In English, an apercu is a summary of something, an interesting peek into something, or, most commonly, a fascinating comment about something.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "another apercu," "their brilliant apercus."
Other forms:
If you prefer, include the little hook (or "cedilla") under the "c:" "aperçu."
The plural is simply "apercus," pronounced "APP ur SOOZE." (Hear it here.)
how to use it:
The word "apercu" is rare, but not extremely rare.
So if you need to sound serious and sophisticated, it's a nice alternative to the word "insight" and to wordier phrases like "intelligent remark" or "wise observation."
You might talk about someone's apercus, or the apercus in an article or book. Or, talk about people spouting, offering, writing, sharing, or quoting apercus.
examples:
"Sitting in on his public interview at the Shaw festival, I am constantly struck by the wisdom of his apercus. He says that 'every good play has to have a joke at the beginning' and that a bad play, in its criminal waste of time and energy, is 'like murdering a toddler.'"
— Michael Billington, quoting Tony Kushner, The Guardian, 15 August 2011
"He recently mused on the true import of the Internet of Things, sharing a few apercus: ...the progress companies have made in exploiting big data to measure and optimize everything connected to software... utterly transformed finance, scientific research and advertising... The time and expense required for prototyping and bringing products to market will keep falling."
— Glen Martin, quoting Jon Bruner, Forbes, 4 March 2014
has this page helped you understand "apercu"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "apercu" without saying "an insight" or "a fascinating comment."
try it out:
Talk about an apercu you found interesting.
Maybe you read it in a poem or a fortune cookie, heard it in a song or a movie, or saw it on a billboard.
Or maybe you heard it from a witty friend or family member.
I'm a fan of this little apercu from "Welcome to New York" by Taylor Swift: "Everybody here was someone else before."
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for October is "Silly Smashings!"
In each issue this month, I'll give you the definition of a word I've concocted by smashing together two words we've studied before.
See if you can come up with the same silly smashing that I did.
For example, I'll say, "This noun means 'an extremely outdated, old-fashioned, ill-considered assumption that there are only two ways of dealing with a certain problem.'" And you'll say, "That's a troglodichotomy." (Which is a silly smashing of troglodyte and dichotomy.)
I'll list the answer at the bottom of each issue. Maybe your answer will match mine. Or maybe yours will be even better; if so, be sure to share it with me!
Try this one today:
This adjective describes your dinner when you soaked the chicken in just whatever you happened to have in the fridge.
review this word:
A. BANAL REMARK.
B. ANECDOTAL REMARK.
C. CATEGORICAL REMARK.
2. In the _____ works of David Foster Wallace, even the footnotes burst with apercus.
A. witty
B. angry
C. comprehensive
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my 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.
Our word "apercu" crossed over into English in 1821 from French, where it means "perceived."
Part of speech:
The word "apercu" is rare, but not extremely rare.
"Sitting in on his public interview at the Shaw festival, I am constantly struck by the wisdom of his apercus. He says that 'every good play has to have a joke at the beginning' and that a bad play, in its criminal waste of time and energy, is 'like murdering a toddler.'"
Explain the meaning of "apercu" without saying "an insight" or "a fascinating comment."
Talk about an apercu you found interesting.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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