Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FELICITOUS

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"FELICITOUS" Meaning: "Felicity" (besides being a lovely first name for a girl, the female version of "Felix,") means happiness, success, or luck. So, something felicitous can be happy and delightful. But more often, felicitous things are a specific kind of lucky: they are very appropriate or fitting in a surprising, impressive way. Pronunciation: fill ISS it 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 felicitous reminder.” 2. After a linking verb, as in "The reminder was felicitous.”) Other forms: felicity, felicitously, infelicity/infelicitous How to use it: Keeping in mind that "felicitous" can mean either "happy and lucky" or "particularly appropriate and therefore lucky," talk about felicitous arrangements, coincidences, decisions, discoveries, encounters and events, meetings, pairings and matches and groupings, phrases and names, timing, results, etc. I take particular joy in seeing objects that fit together perfectly, in exceptionally neat piles and stacks of things, and in felicitous text messages that obviate errands right before I was about to do them. Geordi La Forge, a Star Trek character, was the master of the felicitous comparison: "A ship just generates a soliton wave and then rides it through space, like a surfboard." Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "felicitous" means when you can explain it without saying "very well suited" or "strikingly fortunate." Think of a joyful event that went really well for you, and fill in the blanks: "_____ got off to a felicitous start when/as _____." Example: "The presentation got off to a felicitous start as the computer, projector, and software all worked properly, booting up quickly and innocently as if they had always done so." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, challenge your powers of memory and recall (or just get ready to reign supreme on Wheel of Fortune) as we play with two-word phrases that you’ll find in a dictionary. We’ll start off with easy tasks and advance to harder ones as the month goes on. See the right answer to each question the following day. You might even see a new phrase that inspires your curiosity and makes you look it up. Have fun! (Note: Every dictionary recognizes a different set of two-word phrases. I used the OED to make these game questions.) Yesterday's question: Today the game gets a little bit harder again! You’ll see the first word of each phrase, along with a blank line indicating the length of the second word. See how many of them you can think of: exit ___ exit ____ exit ____ exit ___ exit _________ exit ____ exit ____ exit ____ exit ______ exit ________ exit _____ Answers: You may have thought of even more phrases starting with “exit” than I listed below, due to differences in our dictionaries, and in me being selective when building my list! exit cue exit door exit exam exit fee exit interview exit pipe exit poll exit road exit speech exit strategy exit wound Try this one today: You’ll see the second word of each phrase, along with a blank line hinting at the length of the first word. See how many of them you can think of: ______ point _______ point ______ point ________ point ________ point ___-___ point ____ point _______ point ________ point ___________ point ____ point _____ point ____ point ___ point ___ point ____ point ____ point __________ point ____ point A Point Well Made: Friedrich Nietzsche: “When one has much to put into them, a day has a hundred pockets.” 1. One opposite of FELICITOUS is A. INNATE B. INOPPORTUNE C. INNUMERABLE 2. The medicine's oddly felicitous side effect is _____. A. clearing up acne B. replacing acne with eczema C. exacerbating acne Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A Exploring the archives: Today's "felicitous" is a certain kind of lucky, which reminds me of a nifty word we looked at quite a while ago meaning "like a magical object, something that brings you good luck." It starts with T and has 3 syllables. Could you recall it?