Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DISINTER

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connect today's word to others: If you're pulling together a list of English words that come from the Latin terra, "earth or land," you can probably name terrain, territory, terrestrial, inter, today's disinter, and these two phrases: 1, terra f___a, "firm land," or anything solid and substantial which you can use as a basis for something else; and 2, terra in______a, "unknown land," or any place or idea that's unknown and unexplored. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "DISINTER" The word "inter" literally means "to (put) in the earth," and so the word "disinter" literally means "to take out of the earth." To literally disinter a dead body is to take it back out of the ground (for some reason, like to perform DNA testing, or to transfer it to a different burial place). And figuratively, to disinter something is to unearth it, to dig it back up: to focus attention on it after it was hidden or forgotten. Pronunciation: diss in TUR Part of speech: Verb, the transitive kind: "we disinterred the idea," "his memory was disinterred." Other forms: disinterred, disinterring, disinterment  How to use it: This word has an eerie tone. We can talk literally about disinterring people and their bodies, remains, and graves. But let's focus on figurative use. You can talk about disinterring all kinds of things that seem to have been buried, hidden, concealed, or lying dormant or forgotten. If you can compare it to a dead body, you can "disinter" it. That is, talk about disinterring facts, truths, information, knowledge, memories, feelings, attitudes, theories, methods, habits, behaviors, practices, philosophies, etc. examples: It's a painful memory; don't make him disinter it. "What we want from two-time Booker winner Peter Carey is another propulsive Australian masterpiece like 'True History of the Kelly Gang.' What we get is this opaque tale of spoiled affections and disinterred racism called 'A Long Way From Home.'"    — Ron Charles, The Washington Post, 27 February 2018 study it: Explain the meaning of "disinter" without saying "exhume" or "dig up." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "It's hard to talk about _____ without disinterring old (theories, notions, memories, doctrines, etc.) (of or about) _____." Example: "It's hard to talk about poverty without disinterring old absurdities about how poor people are just lazy and want to stay poor." 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. Our game last month was "Controversial Catchphrases!" We considered all kinds of important, ongoing controversies in our world. From the previous issue: People who argue "yes" say things like "knowledgeable about civics," "develops lifelong habits," and "a voice in laws that affect them." People who argue "no" say things like "not mature enough," "low turnout," and "raise it back to age 21." What's the question? The question is, "Should we lower the voting age?" (Explore this issue at ProCon.org.) Here's our new game for March: "Tidbits and Titles." I provide the tidbits; you provide the title. Let's do it! Here's a quote from a novel: "A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.‎" And here are some terms and phrases that often appear in that novel: carriage, daughter, dreadful, Fleet Street, gentleman, honour, knitting, mender of roads, Paris, prisoner, shadow, Temple Bar, wine-shop. What's the novel's title? review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of DISINTER is INTER. But a close opposite of DISINTER is A. CONCEAL. B. EXPLORE. C. CONDENSE. 2. As the New York Times playfully reported, "the _____ Kanye West and Taylor Swift _____ a few years ago got disinterred." A. hatchet .. buried B. fences .. mended C. dirty laundry .. aired 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. A 2. A