Make Your Point > Archived Issues > IMMOLATE
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connect today's word to others:
Let's check out immolate, a more serious synonym of sacrifice and incinerate.
Even though most of us see the word immolate and automatically think of fire, the roots inside the word don't mean "to set (someone) on fire." Instead, they mean "to sprinkle sacrificial meal (on someone)."
That means immolate is probably related to words like meal (the grain, as in oatmeal) and molars (the teeth that grind up food).
In its loosest sense, immolate just means "to destroy, as if by burning." In that sense, here are several synonyms. Could you recall them?
1. To destroy something as if by erasing it or removing its face, is to _ff___ it.
2. To destroy something as if by ripping it out by the roots is to _rad_____ it.
3. And, to destroy something as if by scraping or shaving away every bit of it is to r_z_ it.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"IMMOLATE"
Strictly speaking, to immolate animals or people to a god is to sacrifice them to that god by killing them (often by setting them on fire).
Generally, to immolate things or people is to sacrifice them: to allow them to be destroyed, often for the sake of some higher cause.
And, more loosely, to immolate things can mean to destroy them by burning them (or to destroy them in a way that seems like you're burning them).
Pronunciation:
IM uh late
Part of speech:
Verb.
It's usually the transitive kind: people immolate things and other people, including themselves.
Other forms:
immolated, immolating, immolation, immolator(s);
self-immolate, self-immolated, self-immolation
How to use it:
Be careful with "immolate." It's dramatic, serious, and formal. And, it's got a brutal history: we associate it with barbaric religious sacrifices as well as grisly suicides, especially those committed as a form of protest, and those committed by widows immediately after their husbands' deaths.
Of course, you can still use "immolate" in a lighthearted or mock-serious way, e.g., "Heat Miser sings gleefully about immolating everything he touches, which is pretty funny to see in stop-motion animation."
Basically, talk about people immolating things, places, other people, or themselves, either literally ("the extremist group immolated the pilot") or figuratively ("they immolated their reputation").
Finally, when you're talking about people who unwittingly destroy their own plans, goals, chances, and so on, instead of saying "they shot themselves in the foot" or "they self-destructed," you can say "they immolated themselves" (or "they self-immolated").
examples:
"Don't be evil" was once Google's tagline, but it seems they've immolated that principle.
"I work with clients regularly to help them open up their body language. It’s difficult to do in front of an audience that wants you to succeed. Imagine how hard it is in front of an audience at least half of whom wants you to self-immolate."
—Nick Morgan, Forbes, 25 October 2015
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "immolate" means when you can explain it without saying "sacrifice" or "burn down."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Some quality, value, priority, or other idea) has been immolated at the shrine of (something that people practically worship, like fame, money, power, ambition, patriotism, party loyalty, or political correctness)."
Example: "In Vonnegut's story 'Harrison Bergeron,' individualism has been immolated at the shrine of social equality."
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.
Uncommon Opposites!
In each issue this month, I'll give you a rare word and its definition, and you come up with its more familiar opposite.
For example, if I say, "To exfiltrate is to secretly withdraw people from a dangerous situation," then you come up with the opposite: "infiltrate." Or if I say, "An allograph is something written by someone other than the person concerned," then you come up with "autograph."
We'll take these in order from easy to hard as the month goes on. Ready?
From our previous issue: Maritality is a wife’s extreme affection for her husband. What’s the opposite? (Not a wife's hatred or resentment! Think: a husband's extreme affection for his wife.)
Answer: Uxoriousness.
Try this last one today: Something nullibiquitous exists nowhere. What’s the opposite?
review today's word:
1. A close opposite of IMMOLATE is
A. IDENTIFY.
B. PRESERVE.
C. APPRECIATE.
2. When Katniss emerges as a strong competitor and earns the nickname _____, the evil Gamemakers respond, aptly, by trying to immolate her.
A. The Arrow
B. The Mockingjay
C. The Girl on Fire
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. B
2. C
Let's check out immolate, a more serious synonym of sacrifice and incinerate.
"IMMOLATE" Strictly speaking, to immolate animals or people to a god is to sacrifice them to that god by killing them (often by setting them on fire). Other forms:
"Don't be evil" was once Google's tagline, but it seems they've immolated that principle.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "immolate" means when you can explain it without saying "sacrifice" or "burn down."
Fill in the blanks: "(Some quality, value, priority, or other idea) has been immolated at the shrine of (something that people practically worship, like fame, money, power, ambition, patriotism, party loyalty, or political correctness)."
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.
1. A close opposite of IMMOLATE is
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. |