Make Your Point: CAMARADERIE

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pronounce CAMARADERIE:

kom uh ROD uh ree

connect this word to others:

You could just say comradeship or comradery, but it sounds cooler to say camaraderie.

In fact, all the French version of words and phrases below sound pretty darn cool. See how many you can come up with:

1. You could say "joy of life," or joie_d__v____.

2. You could say "I know not what," or j__n__s____qu__.

3. You could say "a sleepless night," or n____bl__he.

4. You could say "a putting in place," the kind you do in the kitchen before you cook, or m___e_e__pl___.

5. You could say "the spirit of the staircase," that perfect comeback that occurs to you too late to use it, or esp___ de l'_scal___.

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

definition:

In English, a comrade (and in French, a camarade) is a roommate: someone who shares a room with you. More loosely, it's a close companion: a person you spend a great deal of time with. "Comrade" and camarade both trace back to a Latin word for "a bedroom or a vaulted chamber," camera. (Yup, that's the same camera that gave us the English word "camera," originally called a "camera obscura" or "dark chamber.")

So, "comradeship," "comradery," or "camaraderie," is a spirit of fun, easy, happy, laidback friendship among a close group of people.

Even though we already had the English versions, we took "camaraderie" from French around the year 1840, probably because it sounded cool. It first appeared in a magazine: "A spirit of camaraderie and partisanship prevails in matters of art."

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the uncountable kind: "Sharing a tiny cabin for four weeks, we quickly developed a sense of camaraderie."

Other forms:

None are common in English.

how to use it:

Pick the formal, beautiful, highly positive, semi-common word "camaraderie" when you want to highlight how easy and happy it is to spend time with your closest group of friends, colleagues, coworkers, or teammates.

You might talk about the camaraderie in, of, or among a group of people, meaning that they know each other well, they get along easily, and they work or play together in a happy, effortless way.

Or, you might talk about an environment that offers or promotes camaraderie. "We'd go to the little Irish pub on I-Drive for the karaoke and the camaraderie." "We were drawn back to camp every summer by its camaraderie."

examples:

"I help her take the dishes out of the dishwasher. We work in quiet camaraderie until the task is done, and sleep calls."
— David Levithan, Every Day, 2012

"He relishes the camaraderie: how riders take care of one another, pass along what they know, divide what they have."
— Sonia Nazario, Enrique's Journey, 2006

has this page helped you understand "camaraderie"?

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 "camaraderie" without saying "fellowship" or "conviviality."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) (loved, enjoyed, or missed) the camaraderie (of or among) (some group of people at a certain place or time)."

Example 1: "I loved the camaraderie among the counselors-in-training at summer camp."

Example 2: "Isaac wanted sorely the camaraderie of his heretic congregation, their sweet witness; he missed the singing and tears, the prayers of love and fellow-feeling, the entreaties of sorrow assuaged."
— M. T. Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, 2006

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.

This month, our game is Botched Songs!

Check out the botched lyrics to a holiday song, and see if you can give me the botched title. It'll include a form of a word we've studied before.

For example, if the real song is "Jingle Bell Rock," then the botched one might be "Jingle Quell Rock." Or if the real song is "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas," then the botched one might be "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like a Chrysalis."

If you need some clues, highlight them to reveal them. And to see the answer, scroll all the way down. Your answer might be different than mine but just as good. Enjoy!

Try this one today:

Mistletoe hung where you can see,
Every couple tries to dodge.
____ing' around the Christmas tree,
Let the Christmas spirit flee.
Later we'll pass on pumpkin pie
And refuse the caroling.
—from "_____ing Around the Christmas Tree"

Clue 1: The word in the blank means… stopping suddenly or refusing to do something.

Clue 2: The word in the blank starts with the letter… B

Clue 3: The word in the blank sounds like… "Rocking;" but it doesn't rhyme, exactly; it's just assonant, like the words "feeling" and "peeking."

review this word:

1. A near opposite of CAMARADERIE could be

A. ART or SKETCHING.
B. TENSION or BAD BLOOD.
C. EXCITEMENT or NOVELTY.

2. In Sula, Toni Morrison wrote about "the camaraderie of the road men:" the _____.

A. simple code by which they lived
B. vulgar way they spoke to passersby
C. easy way they talked and worked as a team

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.

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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CAMARADERIE

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