Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EXPENDABLE
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pronounce
EXPENDABLE:
Say it "eck SPEND uh bull."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
If you've seen The Expendables, you recall how all those tough guys band together to kill a cruel dictator, the idea being that, in a mission this important, each individual guy is expendable.
That is, he's willing to spend his own life. To use his life to pay for the mission, basically.
Our word expendable literally means "able to be paid out."
It's based on the Latin pendere, meaning both "to pay" and "to hang or weigh," which makes sense when you imagine a shopper in ancient Rome placing money on a scale.
We see pendere inside lots of other English words today, like spend, expensive, ___pense (to hand things out, or to get rid of things), and pens___ (deep in thought, as if weighing ideas).
Could you recall those last two?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
"Expend" has Latin roots that literally mean "to pay out" or "to weigh out."
To expend something is to use it up, as if it's money. You expend things like time, effort, and energy: "I can't believe I already expended three hours on this assignment."
"Expendable" sounds like "spendable," and that is what it means. If you treat something like it's expendable, you don't mind that it gets all used up. So, expendable things (and people) are not important and easily sacrificed.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "They treated us like we were expendable;" "These pieces in the game are expendable."
Other forms:
Expend, expended, expending; unexpendable.
how to use it:
Pick the formal, semi-common word "expendable" to describe parts, pieces, things, creations, and even people that get used up and tossed away.
Often there's a sharp negative tone attached to this word: we use it to describe human lives that get treated as if they don't matter, or as if they matter much less than whatever the goal at hand is.
examples:
"The Lemmings: The miniature characters of this early [video game] walked towards a doom that only the speed of your mouse could avert. They were interchangeable, expendable and numberless."
— Tom Chatfield, The Guardian, 7 August 2010
"The lieutenant governor of Texas said in March that 'lots of grandparents' would be willing to sacrifice themselves to facilitate the opening of the economy. The implication of this disturbing argument is that old people are expendable."
— Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, 6 August 2020
has this page helped you understand "expendable"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "expendable" without saying "disposable" or "replaceable."
try it out:
Think about something you love that includes three or more parts, pieces, or people.
It might be a recipe with many ingredients, a toolkit with many tools, a musical group with many members, or a television series with many characters.
Which of these parts, pieces, or people is most expendable? Which is least expendable? Why?
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.
Country Song, or Springer Episode?
Be warned: this month's game is in poor taste. I had so much fun creating it, so what does that say about me? And if you're good at it, what does that say about you? Oh, snap.
Country songs and Jerry Springer episodes have something in common: their self-aware, over-the-top titles. It's clear that the creators of both enjoyed poking fun at their genre. In each round of the game this month, check out a handful of titles, and see if you can decide whether each belongs to a country song or a Jerry Springer episode. For the answers, scroll all the way down.
Try these today:
1. Baby, You're Busted
2. Jesus Loves Me But He Can't Stand You
3. I Went Out On A Limb and Fell Off the Family Tree
review this word:
A. INIMITABLE.
B. INDISPENSABLE.
C. INDEFATIGABLE.
2.
According to Fandom.com, "'Redshirt' is a term used by fans and staff of Star Trek to refer to the characters who wear red Starfleet uniforms, and mainly to refer to those characters who are expendable, and quite often _____."
A. bullied
B. tricked
C. killed
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.
"Expend" has Latin roots that literally mean "to pay out" or "to weigh out."
Part of speech:
Pick the formal, semi-common word "expendable" to describe parts, pieces, things, creations, and even people that get used up and tossed away.
"The Lemmings: The miniature characters of this early [video game] walked towards a doom that only the speed of your mouse could avert. They were interchangeable, expendable and numberless."
Explain the meaning of "expendable" without saying "disposable" or "replaceable."
Think about something you love that includes three or more parts, pieces, or people.
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.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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