Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NESCIENCE

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"NESCIENCE" Meaning: "Nescience" is a more formal word for "ignorance." In other words, nescience is the total absence of knowledge. More specifically, nescience can also mean the absence of a belief in God, or the absence of a belief that we humans are able to truly understand reality. But we'll focus on the more general meaning above. Pronunciation: Several ways are correct. I prefer "NESH uns" because it matches how you say "conscience." Part of speech: Usually an uncountable noun. (Like “milk,” “rice,” and “education,” uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about “some milk,” “the rice,” and “a lot of education,” but you don’t say “a milk,” “three rices,” or “many educations.” Likewise, talk about “the nescience,” “such nescience,” “our nescience," and so on, but don’t say “nesciences.”) You can also treat it as a singular noun: "a nescience," "this nescience." Other forms: The adjective is "nescient." How to use it: Like I mentioned up there in the definition, you use "nescience" instead of "ignorance" when you need to be more formal or more serious. So, talk about a nescience or somebody's nescience: "a misunderstanding worse than a nescience," "we refuse to fight against their nescience any longer." You can also talk about "a/the/somebody's nescience of something:" "a nescience of her own country's history," "their nescience of the rules and regulations." And you can just talk about nescience in general: "the rigid limitations of nescience," "a relationship clouded by nescience," "they remain stubbornly in a state of nescience," "mistakes attributed to nescience." You might specify what kind of nescience you're talking about: "spiritual nescience," "inescapable nescience," "inexcusable nescience." Lastly, use the adjective to talk about being nescient of something, or to talk about nescient people, but be aware of how insulting that word can be. As a society, we had hoped that the Internet would put a miraculous end to nescience, only to discover how well it spreads misinformation and bad science. When a teenager publicly posts a cruel comment, then yes, let's blame nescience and not malice--but either way, let's try to counteract it. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "nescience" means when you can explain it without saying "no knowledge" or "no awareness." Think of a particular topic that you used to know nothing about, and fill in the blanks: "Back when I was nescient of _____, it hadn't occurred to me that _____." Example: "Back when I was nescient of the game's strategies, it hadn't occurred to me that you win Scrabble not by playing interesting words but by memorizing and playing whatever short words will earn the most points. Like 'za,' 'foh,' and 'sae.' Well, that's less fun." 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, we're sampling questions from Orijinz, an awesome series of games about the origins of words, phrases, and quotes. Click here if you want to check them out. They're compact--perfect for stockings. Just saying. :) Try a question here each day this month, and see the right answer the next day. Have fun! Yesterday's question: "Guess the phrase! Origin: This phrase comes from early 20th-century magazine stories, TV shows and movies about the Old West. It was used to describe the practice of guards who rode atop stagecoaches armed with weapons to protect their cargo and riders. Definition: To protect or carefully watch something; to sit in the passenger seat of a car." Answer: "The phrase is: Ride shotgun.” Today's question: "Guess the word! Origin: In one variety of draw poker, players have to progressively ante until one or more players have a pair of jacks or better and can begin betting and start play. The pool of ante money can grow quite large if multiple deals do not generate a pair of jacks or better. In that case, the eventual winner would earn a major chunk of cash. Definition: A large reward or big prize." A Point Well Made: Laozi: “The mark of a moderate man is freedom from his own ideas.” 1. The opposite of NESCIENCE is A. PROOF B. BELIEF C. KNOWLEDGE 2. With phrases like _____, the article reveals a nescience of _____. A. "hot water heater" .. industry-standard terms B. "lady doctor" .. political correctness C. "up the creek without a paddle" .. rural life 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. C 2. B Exploring the archives: You can probably tell by the roots of today's word that it means lacking (ne) knowledge (science). Usually, the nescient person is totally unaware of an idea or a body of knowledge. Could you think of the better word for describing people who are totally unaware of what's going on around them at the moment? It starts with "o" and its roots literally mean "over" + "smooth."