Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DAGUERREAN
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Today we're checking out daguerrean, which comes from the world of photography.
See if you can recall these other terms that also broke free from their specific spheres of interest into our broader vocabulary...
1. From the world of automobiles: a ch_____ is a basic framework.
2. From the world of horse racing: something also-___ is unsuccessful or not victorious.
3. From the world of cooking: m___ e_ pl___ is the idea, habit, or process of having everything in place, ready to be used.
4. and 5. From the world of baseball: something in____-baseball is highly specific and technical, and something bush-l____ue is lacking in fame and skill.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"DAGUERREAN"
Back in 1839, in France, Louis Daguerre ("duh GAIR") invented one of the first kinds of photography. He named the process after himself. Daguerreotypes ("duh GAIR uh types") look creepy and old-fashioned now, but they were high-tech back then:
Daguerre's methods got better over time, but early on, it took a long time to take each photograph, which explains why there's not much smiling in them.
Because these photos seemed so true to life, people started using the word "daguerrean" ("duh GAIR ee un") to mean "photographic, photorealistic." (For example, "a daguerrean painting" meant "a painting that seems extremely lifelike and real.") And, "a daguerreotype" could mean "any precise replica." And, "to daguerreotype" meant "to show or describe in lifelike detail."
Today, you can still use the word "daguerrean" to mean "extremely realistic" when you want to sound old-fashioned.
But you can also use it to mean "creepy and old-fashioned in a way that reminds you of an old black-and-white portrait."
Pronunciation:
duh GAIR ee un
Part of speech:
Adjective: "his daguerrean stare," "the decor seems daguerrean."
Other forms:
Daguerreotype(s), daguerreotyped, daguerreotyping.
An alternate spelling of "daguerrean" is "daguerreian."
And if you prefer, you can keep the capital letter: "his Daguerrean stare."
How to use it:
The adjective "daguerrean" is very rare. But I'm sharing it with you anyway because it's so powerful: when you call something daguerrean, you immediately convey a specific set of images and moods--stiff clothes, high collars, somber colors, serious stares, etc.
You might talk about daguerrean images, imagery, decor, art, music, moods, tones, stares, etc.
Let's also look at how to use the noun and the verb, both of which will help you sound old-fashioned--when that's what you're going for.
To use the noun, call something a daguerreotype of something else. "The poem is a daguerreotype of his anxious spirit."
And to use the verb, talk about someone daguerreotyping something, or about something being daguerreotyped: "Her graceful face was daguerreotyped into his memory."
examples:
You crowd into the Haunted Mansion's Portrait Chamber, where even the voice of the Ghost Host manages to sound daguerrean.
"The descriptions of town life, also, are so graphic, that we seem transported to the London of 1750. The masquerade at Ranelagh, and the scene at Vauxhall, where the two brainless town-bloods frighten Amelia and the children with their profanity and insolence, are daguerreotypes of manners."
— Thomas Roscoe, "The Life and Works of Henry Fielding," published in The North American Review, Volume 68, 1849
"At the Plains District Memorial Museum, there was plenty of history on show. History’s become a commodity in these far-flung towns, almost a living, breathing entity that threatens to erase the present and deprive it of any meaning. The first drugstore, the first tannery, the first saddle and harness shop, it’s life as a quaint daguerreotype."
— Bill Barich, Long Way Home: On the Trail of Steinbeck's America, 2018
has this page helped you understand "daguerrean"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "daguerrean" without saying "eerie" or "antiquated."
try it out:
Fill in the blank: "The memory seems motionless and colorless, daguerrean, even: _____."
Example: "The memory seems motionless and colorless, daguerrean, even: my second grade teacher standing over me, furious at the mud I'd tracked in."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
In August, we're playing the time-honored Game of Venery!
We're inventing terms for groups of things: terms that James Lipton, the author of An Exaltation of Larks, calls "shards of poetry and truth." Example terms of venery include lovely ones like "a conflagration of fireflies" and silly ones like "a myopia of umpires," "a rash of dermatologists," and "an unemployment of graduates."
In each issue this month, I'll offer two templates. Have fun filling them in and sharing your inventions with your family, being as lofty, silly, or bawdy as you like. In each subsequent issue, I'll list the actual terms that appear in Lipton's book.
From the previous issue:
1. A cacophony of _____
2. A _____ of talk show hosts
The terms listed in the book are "a cacophony of TV channels" and "an effusion of talk show hosts."
Try these today:
1. A vacuity of _____
2. A _____ of commercials
review this word:
1. A near opposite of DAGUERREAN is
A. WISPY.
B. TECHNICOLOR.
C. MONOCHROME.
2. The 1866 text Social Life of the Chinese is _____ subtitled A Daguerreotype of _____.
A. aptly .. Papermaking
B. quaintly .. Daily Life in China
C. redundantly .. Grammatical Honorifics
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:
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.
Today we're checking out daguerrean, which comes from the world of photography.
"DAGUERREAN" Back in 1839, in France, Louis Daguerre ("duh GAIR") invented one of the first kinds of photography. He named the process after himself. Daguerreotypes ("duh GAIR uh types") look creepy and old-fashioned now, but they were high-tech back then:
Daguerre's methods got better over time, but early on, it took a long time to take each photograph, which explains why there's not much smiling in them.
You crowd into the Haunted Mansion's Portrait Chamber, where even the voice of the Ghost Host manages to sound daguerrean.
Explain the meaning of "daguerrean" without saying "eerie" or "antiquated."
Fill in the blank: "The memory seems motionless and colorless, daguerrean, even: _____."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of DAGUERREAN is
|