Make Your Point: CONCUPISCENT

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pronounce CONCUPISCENT:

kon KYOO puh sunt

connect this word to others:

Today's word is a weird one: concupiscent, a close relative of cupidity (greedy desire) and Cupid (the mythological god of love, desire, and affection).

Concupiscent means lusty. And, like the synonyms lascivious and lecherous, it's an emotionally loaded word, implying judgment and condemnation.

Synonyms that are much less judgmental include desirous, amorous, and ar___t. Can you recall that last one? We apply it to people who seem to burn with desire.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Concupiscent" means "lusty or desirous in an unwholesome way." It has Latin bits that literally mean "very much longing for," or "very much desirous of."

It's closely associated with the writings of Saint Augustine, who argued that concupiscence was a sin, a force of evil in the world. Poor guy.

So, when you want to sound squeamish and old-fashioned, or you want to distance yourself from things that are lustful and passionate in a distasteful or immoral way, you can call them concupiscent.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a concupiscent narrator," "their concupiscent appetites."

Other forms:

The noun is "concupiscence," and the adverb is "concupiscently."

how to use it:

When you want to describe things or people as unpleasantly or offensively sexual or sexualized, and you want to sound judgmental, pearl-clutching, or Bible-thumping, then pick the rare, stuffy, scholarly word "concupiscent."

Your readers might not be familiar with it, but they'll probably pick up the meaning pretty easily from context, and from its resemblance to "Cupid."

examples:

"Anna-Felicitas, exquisite and unsuspecting, had been kidnapped. Some American's concupiscent eye had alighted on her, observed her beauty, and marked her down."
— Elizabeth Von Arnim, Christopher and Columbus, 1919

"We were both Catholics... there was a terrible bill being racked up somewhere, calibrating the relative sinfulness of everything we did, every gesture made, every word exchanged, let alone every kiss. Should death strike, should lightning fork from one of the huge trees outside into our concupiscent bodies... down, down we would plunge, into the bowels of Hell."
— Tony Hendra, Father Joe, 2004

has this page helped you understand "concupiscent"?

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Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "concupiscent" without saying "passionate" or "amorous."

try it out:

In a review of a TV show called "Nashville," Mike Hale wrote:

"[Juliette's] Sherman's March through the men of the country music business promises to include victims both young and middle-aged. Early on she bags two important members of Rayna's team. This concupiscence may be overdone — if Juliette is already at the top of the charts, does she really need to be quite so predatory? — but for now it's fun to watch."

With "Nashville" in mind as an example, talk about another show or book where the "concupiscence" is perhaps "overdone." In your opinion, is this show or book still fun to watch or read? Why or why not?

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 this month is "Spot the Sharper Image."

Which of the two items described below is a real one that you can order from the Sharper Image catalog, and which one did I invent? Scroll to the bottom to see which one is real!

Try this set today:

Item A: Collapsible Travel Waffle Maker. "When the continental breakfast lets you down, our Travel Waffle Maker is there for you."

Item B: Recordable Pet Training Buttons. "Teach your pet to communicate with Recordable Pet Training Buttons. Each button can be customized with different words or phrases."

review this word:

1. Opposites of CONCUPISCENT include

A. PURE and CHASTE.
B. TOLERANT and ACCEPTING.
C. SUBSTANTIAL and PERSUASIVE.

2. In Josh Ritter's song "Getting Ready to Get Down," a small town shuns concupiscence, insisting "___"

A. Eve ate the apple 'cause the apple was sweet;
What kind of God would ever keep a girl from getting what she needs?

B. To really be a saint, you gotta really be a virgin,
Dry as a page in the King James Version.

C. When you get damned in the popular opinion,
It's just another damn of the damns you're not giving.

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:
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A 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.

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