Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RECTITUDE

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explore the archives: Think of a rectangle, with straight lines and right angles. Rectitude means straightness or rightness, but usually figuratively: the person of rectitude has excellent, virtuous morals and fine, upstanding behavior. Take "rectitude" and add "-inarian," the suffix for a person (like a "disciplinarian") and you get a pretty ridiculous-sounding 7-syllable word for people who obey strict moral rules: rectitudinarians. Try to call someone a rectitudinarian, and I bet he can put on his shoes and walk out the door before you finish saying "rectitudinarian." Which rhymes with platitudinarian: a person who always spouts platitudes (worn-out old phrases). And la____dinarian: an open-minded person who allows people to act and think however they like. Can you come up with that one? make your point with... "RECTITUDE" "Rectitude" is another term for "moral integrity." That is, if you have rectitude, then you have the quality of doing the right thing, having good morals, being a virtuous person, etc. Pronunciation: RECK tih tude Part of speech: 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 rectitude," "such rectitude," "his rectitude," "no rectitude," and so on, but don't say "rectitudes.") Other forms: The adjective is "rectitudinous," and as I mentioned above, "rectitudinarian" is the person, but as a 7-syllable word it's a bit much. How to use it: Talk about someone's rectitude, or someone's rectitude of heart or mind or motives. Or, say that someone is a person of rectitude, or a model, picture, or standard of rectitude--or, if you must, a person of no rectitude. You can also do something with rectitude: "We imagine Washington leading his country with rectitude and conviction." You'll often see people write "moral rectitude." Well, that does help clarify that you're not talking about literal rectitude, or straightness, as in "the rectitude of the spine." But because the literal meaning isn't used much these days, it isn't necessary to write "moral" before "rectitude." examples: Critics at the Université de Montréal have condemned Mother Teresa's failure to provide pain relief to the sick, but she is still widely admired for her kindness and rectitude. After making outrageously cruel and crass comments, don't even attempt to fake rectitude now. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "rectitude" means when you can explain it without saying "decency" or "morality." try it out: Think of someone honest, moral, and virtuous: someone from real life or fiction, from the past or the present. Fill in the blanks: "(Person), with his/her (certain characteristic or habit), is/was a model of rectitude." Example: "Atticus Finch, with his calm insistence on respecting those we disagree with, is a model of rectitude." 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. This month, we're playing with KWIKORD, an addictive, challenging new word game for solo or group play, created by Wayne Ellice.  We're dipping our toes into the game this month, trying some simple challenges first and working our way toward harder tasks. (Check out my interview with the game's creator here, and order your own copy of the full version of KWIKORD here.) You'll see a sample answer to each puzzle the following day. Enjoy! Yesterday, you took the letters STXAEO and arranged them into words to completely fill a 3x3 grid. Many solutions were possible. Here are two: Try that again today with the letters MTYAEO. Draw a tic-tac-toe board on some scrap paper and go for it! review today's word: 1. The opposite of RECTITUDE is A. CHARM B. CREATION C. CROOKEDNESS 2. _____ led us to question the rectitude of her _____. A. The brevity of her responses .. preparation B. Where her funding came from .. motives C. Her flip-flops at the interview .. seriousness Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@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