Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BRUIT

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connect today's word to others: To bruit ("BROOT") something is to spread rumors about it, and a bruit ("BREW ee") is the sound of blood whooshing within the body in an abnormal way--you hear it through a stethoscope.  So, how is a rumor like the sound of blood whooshing within the body? They're both noisy. Bruit, our English word, comes from an Old French word spelled the same way that meant "noise or rumor." Of course, we'll focus on the general meaning of bruit: to spread rumors, to talk idly, to report what you've heard, to p_l_v_r (that is, to talk in an idle, rambling way). (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "BRUIT" To bruit something is to talk about it, to gossip about it, or to spread rumors about it. Pronunciation: BROOT (rhymes with "fruit") Part of speech: Verb, the transitive kind. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you bruit something, or you bruit something about.) Other forms: bruited, bruiting, bruiter(s) How to use it: What is it that we bruit, or that we bruit about? Facts, deeds, claims, events, rumors, reports, stories, ideas, possibilities, and so on. Say that people are bruiting something, bruiting about something, bruiting something about, bruiting something through a place, bruiting something all over the neighborhood, bruiting something around the world, etc. (You can also bruit something abroad, but that phrase sounds stiff to me.) Often we use the passive voice and talk about things being bruited about: "their chances of winning keep being bruited about," "there's no need for that story to have been bruited about town." And we often turn the verb into an adjective by adding "-ed:" "the bruited matter," "this bruited affair," "that bruited takeover," "the city's bruited fame." You might describe things as "much bruited," "most bruited", "endlessly bruited," etc. examples: After being so widely bruited, The Blair Witch Project bored and disappointed us. "Having once chastised people like Perry for casually bruiting that possibility [of secession] about, I admit that I’m surprised to catch myself wondering what it might look like. In my head, I divide up states like a divorced couple splitting up their furniture and DVDs." —Leonard Pitts Jr., The Seattle Times, 2 July 2017 study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "bruit" means when you can explain it without saying "circulate" or "propagate." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(In a certain place, or at a certain time), it was bruited about that (someone) had (done something)." Example: "After her sloppy performance onstage, it was bruited about that she'd been on drugs." 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. Uncommon Opposites! In each issue this month, I'll give you a rare word and its definition, and you come up with its more familiar opposite. For example, if I say, "To exfiltrate is to secretly withdraw people from a dangerous situation," then you come up with the opposite: "infiltrate." Or if I say, "An allograph is something written by someone other than the person concerned," then you come up with "autograph." We'll take these in order from easy to hard as the month goes on. Ready? From our previous issue: Fenestration can mean "an arrangement of windows" or "the formation of a hole, like in surgery." What’s a near opposite? Actually, let's not even say "near opposite;" let's say, what's a totally different concept, but it's still related to windows, and it looks like it could be the opposite? :) Answer: Defenestration. Try this today: The obverse of something, such as a coin, is the front side. What’s the opposite? review today's word: 1. The opposite of BRUIT IT ABOUT is A. CALL IT A DAY. B. KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS. C. SHOUT IT FROM THE MOUNTAINTOPS. 2. Endlessly bruited, _____. A. she withdrew from the race B. her prowess as a runner drew a crowd C. the crowd's energy and excitement kept her running strong Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. 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. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B