Our word Samsonian refers to a character from the Bible. So do the terms below; can you recall them?

1. From the name "Mary Magdalene," a Bible character known for her emotional display of tears, the word m_____n describes weepy, sentimental people.

2. From the name of a biblical character known for sadly lamenting this and that, a jer____d is a sad, long, detailed complaint.

3. From a group of smug biblical hypocrites, ph___saic people are moral, upright, or religious in a fake, showy way.

4. From a group of dumb biblical bad guys, a phil____ne is an ignorant commoner: someone with common, lowbrow tastes who doesn't know or care much about arts or culture. So the story goes, a thousand of these folks get slayed by Samson. Specifically, by the jawbone of a donkey that Samson happened to have MacGyvered for that purpose.

Hmm. That's too many insulting terms, and not enough complimentary ones. So let's also recall the gorgeous word below. It's not an eponym exactly, but it's still biblical:

From the term for the highest-ranking angels, the ones with six wings each, the word ser___ic describes anything angelic in an especially bright, lofty, or high-flying way,

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) 

Here's Samson, the Bible character known for his superhuman strength, which he uses to slay a lion with his bare hands, slay an entire army with a donkey's jawbone, and, eventually, bring down an entire temple in a suicide mission.

His strength comes from his long hair: cut the hair, and you zap his strength. His lover, Delilah, betrays him by doing exactly that.

All that information is good to keep in mind when you want to describe people or things as Samsonian.

Most often, Samsonian people and things are  strong and powerful in a superhuman, Bible-hero kind of way.

But you can use the word "Samsonian" in reference to any part of Samson's story. You could use it to mean that someone has amazing hair that seems to give them superpowers, or gets betrayed by the person they love. You could even mean that they're a specific type of martyr, the kind willing to suffer or die if it means they can take their enemies down with them.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

It's an adjective, the kind that you capitalize: "his Samsonian hair;" "a task that demands Samsonian strength."

Other forms: 

You can refer to someone as a Samson.

And if the adjective "Samsonian" isn't your cup of tea, there's also "Samson-like" and "Samsonistic."

how to use it:

Pick the rare word "Samsonian" when you want to strike a serious, biblical tone as you describe something that requires superhuman strength. (Or, if you prefer a reference to myth instead of the Bible, go with "Herculean.")

You might refer to someone's Samsonian hair, muscles, arms, rage, strength, power, vengeance, etc.

Or you might refer to a feat, a task, or a job as Samsonian.

examples:

"A man may stand still and lift kegs of nails and heavy dumb-bells until his shoulders and arms are Samsonian, it will contribute far less to his health and longevity than a daily run of a mile or two." 
   — The Atlantic Monthly, August 1862

"I fell to plotting ways of short-circuiting the machine. Perhaps if I shifted my body about so that the two nodes would come together—No, not only was there no room but it might electrocute me. I shuddered. Whoever else I was, I was no Samson. I had no desire to destroy myself even if it destroyed the machine."
   — Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, 1952

has this page helped you understand "Samsonian"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "Samsonian" without saying "super strong" or "Herculean."

try it out:

Check out this snippet from a 1994 issue of the New York Times Magazine:

"Of all the myths and legends postwar American men fell victim to, none was so potent as the Samsonian ideal of manhood. The evidence was clear. Elvis had lots of hair. So did Don Drysdale, Rock Hudson, Charles Van Doren, Michael Landon and Robert Redford... A vital man was a man with hair."

Can you explain what it means for society to uphold a "Samsonian ideal of manhood"? Is it just about lush hair, or is there more to it than that? The writer implies that this ideal is a harmful one, something that men fall victim to. Do you agree? Why or why not?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for February: Word Choice Chuckles!

I’ll give you a snippet of text that I spotted in the wild, with one word or phrase removed and its meaning described. See if you can fill in a word or phrase that'll give the reader a good chuckle. Be cheesy. Be punny. Get in there and make me proud.

Here's an example:

"This comes at a time of _____ in the mattress industry." 
   — Dan Solomon, Texas Monthly, 15 December 2017

Meaning of the missing word: "strife."

Answer: "unrest."

Try this one today:

"Cartography is an iterative process and no single map will ever be absolutely correct… No matter how hard we try, we can always measure how far from perfect our attempts _____."
   — Endonym Map, 2011

Meaning of the missing word: "turn out, or end up."

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of SAMSONIAN is

A. ILL.
B. WEAK.
C. LOW-TECH.

2. From Jane Yolen's novel The Devil's Arithmetic: "You want to be a _____, like Samson _____ the Philistines."

A. hero .. against
B. champion .. leading
C. rock superstar .. and

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. A Word Choice Chuckle: "Cartography is an iterative process and no single map will ever be absolutely correct… No matter how hard we try, we can always measure how far from perfect our attempts land."    — Endonym Map, 2011

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A 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.