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Recumbent, meaning leaning or lying back, looks like it should be closely related to encumber and unencumbered. It's not, though! The "cumb" in recumbent means "lying down," while the "cumb" in encumber and unencumbered means "obstacle." See if you can explain why unencumbered has the root meaning "obstacle."
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"RECUMBENT"
Literally, someone or something recumbent is leaning back, lying back, or lying down.
Figuratively, recumbent things are restful, comfortable, and even lazy or inactive, as if they are lying down.
Pronunciation:
rih KUM bent
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 recumbent thing" or "a recumbent person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was recumbent." or "He was recumbent.")
Other forms:
The verb forms are recumb, recumbed, and recumbing, but they're not common.
For the noun, use recumbency or recumbence.
How to use it:
To be literal, talk about recumbent bikes or recumbent designs, recumbent people or a recumbent posture, recumbent animals, recumbent sculptures, etc.
To be figurative, talk about a recumbent attitude, a recumbent lifestyle, a recumbent mind, a recumbent spirit, and so on.
A recumbent position can be both literal and figurative: "He hasn't moved from that recumbent position on the couch." "The public remains in its recumbent position, refusing to notice the need for change."
Finally, you can put this adjective after the verb, as if it were an adverb: "She's lying recumbent."
examples:
At my former dentist's office, every recumbent patient faced a monitor showing an endless slideshow of the staff's personal photos.
I really don't worry about screen time limits with my daughter. If I've taken any position on that issue, it's a recumbent position.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "recumbent" means when you can explain it without saying "reclining" or "horizontal."
try it out:
Think of something or someone who became active after being inactive for a while. Fill in the blanks: "_____ rose from his/her/its recumbent position to _____."
Literal example: "Chloe rose from her recumbent position to yawn and clean her paws."
Figurative example: "White supremacy rose from its recumbent position this year to take an intimidating, ugly stand."
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 BRSTAEOO and arranged them into as many words as possible while trying to reach all 4 corners within a 4x4 grid. We're multiplying the number of words we made by the number of corners we reached, trying for the maximum score of 32. There were lots of ways to do that. Here are two:
(In case you weren't sure, "te" means the same as "ti," a note on the musical scale.)
Try it again today with the letters NPRLAEIO. See if you can score 32 points by making 8 words and reaching all the corners. Draw three vertical and three horizontal lines on some scrap paper, and go for it!
review today's word:
1. One opposite of RECUMBENT is
A. SHRINKING
B. STARTLING
C. STANDING
2. It's safe to say they're living a recumbent lifestyle--they both work _____ hours a week and spend plenty of time in a _____.
A. 10 .. hammock
B. 40 .. gym
C. 80 .. subway car
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. A
Recumbent, meaning leaning or lying back, looks like it should be closely related to encumber and unencumbered. It's not, though! The "cumb" in recumbent means "lying down," while the "cumb" in encumber and unencumbered means "obstacle." See if you can explain why unencumbered has the root meaning "obstacle."
"RECUMBENT" Literally, someone or something recumbent is leaning back, lying back, or lying down. Part of speech:
At my former dentist's office, every recumbent patient faced a monitor showing an endless slideshow of the staff's personal photos.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "recumbent" means when you can explain it without saying "reclining" or "horizontal."
Think of something or someone who became active after being inactive for a while. Fill in the blanks: "_____ rose from his/her/its recumbent position to _____."
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. One opposite of RECUMBENT is
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
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