Is it ironic to learn a word with four different meanings without seeing it used in any of them? Well, that’s how I came across today’s Word of the Week, another one picked up from the Elevate – Brain Training app. It sounds like a word I could have gotten familiar with sooner if I read more poetry, but as it happens, I’ve only ever seen it in the Spelling game. Still, with four definitions, I’d definitely take on this word as a writing challenge: to find as many ways as possible to “adumbrate” something in my stories!
To “adumbrate” something is to either represent or report it in outline, indicate it faintly, foreshadow or symbolize it, or overshadow it. The word arose in the late 16th century and comes from the Latin verb adumbrare, meaning “to shade”. This verb stems from the verb umbrare “to cast a shadow”, which in turn derives from the noun umbra “shadow”.
Though I only just learned the word “adumbrate”, I admit I already find it intriguing, not just for its multiple definitions but for how they’re all connected by the root word “shadow”: creating or perceiving a shadow of a larger picture, foreshadowing future events, or overshadowing one idea with another. While Oxford Dictionaries emphasize representation in outline as its primary definition (especially in American English), it should work equally well in any of the others. The real challenge is finding a way to work all four meanings into one written work! So if you ever find yourself needing to summarize, evidence, signify, or obscure anything in your stories, “adumbrate” is an excellent word to add to your list! Good luck!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
I hope you’re ready for more creative inspiration! I’ve been feeling inspired by period drama lately, so today I’m sharing a few more “What If?” Writing Prompts set to the theme of history. See what historical pieces you can create from these ideas! Enjoy!
What if… the entire European continent had developed a unified culture?
What if… East Asian countries had never opened their doors to Western influence?
What if… the Great War (World War I) had never happened?
What if… the United States hadn’t joined World War II?
Have fun writing more twists on history!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
Okay, perhaps I went with a more common word for this week’s vocabulary post. To be honest, I find this one particularly interesting because I’ve seen and heard various forms of it: as nouns, as a verb, and even as an adjective. It seems to be a popular choice for referring to combinations and mixtures. Why “unite” two things into one when you can “amalgamate” them instead?
To “amalgamate” two or more things is to combine them into a single structure or organization. The word arose in the early 17th century and comes from the Latin verb amalgamare “to mix”, which in turn stems from the noun amalgama, meaning “mercury alloy”. This noun derives from the Greek noun málagma, which means “emollient”.
A less common definition for the word “amalgamate” is in chemistry, where it’s usually used in the adjective form “amalgamated” to indicate a metal that has been alloyed with mercury. Note that the verb “amalgamate” stems from the noun “amalgam”, which means “a mixture or blend” or “an alloy of mercury with another metal”. I myself tend to use it most often in its noun form “amalgamation”, the action of combining or uniting. If you often join things in your stories and feel that common words like “merge” and “unite” are overused, “amalgamate” and its related forms are good words to keep on your vocabulary list!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
Here’s an interesting example of a word I first learned in its secondary definition before its primary meaning. When I started the data analysis for my thesis, I learned how to construct phylogenetic trees in a software program called PAUP*, which includes a step that searches for the best trees for a given dataset based on trial and error. Some time later, I noticed a featured iPad app in the iOS App Store designed to help readers learn Shakespeare for themselves. What do these two things have in common? They both have “heuristic” approaches!
Something described as “heuristic” allows someone to learn or discover a given subject for themselves. As a computing term, a “heuristic” procedure toward a solution is carried out by trial and error or loosely defined rules. The word arose in the early 19th century and derives from an irregular form of the Greek verb heurískō, meaning “I find”.
While not a particularly well-known word, “heuristic” could possibly be used as a poetic alternative for “hands-on”. Note that it can also function as a noun to refer to “a heuristic process or method”. I assume the word would most commonly refer to teaching approaches that allow students to learn on their own (as is the case of the “Heuristic Shakespeare” project), though people familiar with computing terms might also recognize it as a reference to trial-and-error programs (such as the “heuristic search” option in PAUP*). If you write about characters who prefer to learn things for themselves or even about computer programs that run on loosely defined rules, “heuristic” is a good word to add to your vocabulary list!
Here’s a funny example of a word I actually learned through a mix-up that changed the entire meaning of the sentence, in this case from an episode of the popular sitcom Frasier. After Niles’s ex-wife Maris accidentally kills her lover, Niles and his family find themselves in the middle of a media storm that turns their lives upside down. In an attempt to clear his brother’s name, Frasier offers to give a statement on the news claiming that Maris and Niles should soon be freed from all accusations. Unfortunately, he only makes things worse when he gets his words muddled up and accidentally uses “execute” in place of “exonerate”!
To “exonerate” someone is to free them from blame for a crime or other wrongdoing, especially as an official act by a body of authority. The word arose in late Middle English and comes from the Latin verb exonerare, meaning “to free from a burden”. This verb comprises two roots: the preposition ex “from” and the noun onus “burden”.
The main definition of “exonerate” refers to an official release from guilt, though it can also be used more informally in the sense “to release someone from a duty or obligation”. If you ever need to free your characters from blame or some other burden, “exonerate” is a good word to keep on your list. Just be careful not to get your words mixed up, or your characters could be in for some serious injustice!
[enter Niles and Daphne, looking unamused]
Frasier: Oh, Daphne, Niles. Listen, I’m so sorry about today’s little gaffe. You know what I meant.
Daphne: Oh, don’t worry. Anyone can make a little slip. We know you were only trying to ruin our lives- I mean, help.
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
It’s Earth Day this week, so let’s mark the occasion with some new “What If?” Writing Prompts! To spark your “natural” creativity, here’s a new set of prompts set to the theme of nature and environmentalism! What sorts of stories can you create from these ideas? Have fun!
What if… all wildlife rose up in a revolution against humankind?
What if… one tree were planted for every person in the world?
What if… a global effort were made to end all pollution?
What if… the entire world population could be fed on sustainable food sources?
What if… only you had the power to save the natural world from total destruction?
Good luck writing more tales about nature and the environment!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
J.C. Wolfe is a fiction writer, biologist, and aspiring novelist of science fantasy and romance. A natural-born American and graduate in Marine Ecology from a university in Brazil, J.C. now writes for a living in California while spending free time blogging and penning stories and poetry.
J.C. Wolfe is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
What if… the entire European continent had developed a unified culture?
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