Make Your Point: IGNITE

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pronounce IGNITE:

ig NITE

connect this word to others:

As we check out the powerful word ignite, see if you can recall a close synonym:

To ___dle something (like a feeling or an interest) is to cause it, to bring it into being, as if you're lighting a fire.

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

definition:

"Ignite" traces back to the Latin word for "fire," ignis.

We've used "ignite" in English since the 1600s to mean, quite literally, "to light (something else) on fire, or to make extremely hot."

It can also mean "to burst into flame," and more figuratively, "to suddenly make people feel extremely excited or emotional, as if lighting a fire in their hearts."

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

It's a verb. It can be transitive: "The singer ignited the crowd." And intransitive: "The crowd ignited as the singer took the stage."

Other forms:

The other verb forms are "ignited" and "igniting."

People and things that ignite things are "igniters."

Things can be "ignitable."

And the noun for the process is "ignition." (Although "ignition" most often means "the part of a car you stick the key into in order to light the fuel," it can also mean "the process of lighting something on fire.") Here's James L. Swanson: "Like an inferno burning outward in all directions from a single ignition point, the news that Lincoln had been shot spread from Ford's in an ever-widening circle."

how to use it:

Although we do often use "ignite" literally to talk about fires, engines, and chemical reactions, in this issue we'll focus on the word's figurative usage.

It's a common, scientific-sounding word, helpful for when you want to compare some intense feeling or reaction to fire.

You might talk about people and things igniting groups of people: that is, causing them to take sudden, emotionally intense action.

Or you could talk about about igniting conversations or movements.

Or about igniting others' energy, interest, curiosity, excitement, ambition, or passion.

examples:

"Emmett’s death ignited the civil rights movement as we know it."
— Angie Thomas, Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy, 2023

"One of his goals was to ignite conversations around the water cycle at what is becoming a key moment for action globally."
— Josh Rhoten, Science Daily, 6 April 2024

has this page helped you understand "ignite"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "ignite" without saying "set alight" or "set fire to."

try it out:

In Gary D. Schmidt's novel Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, which takes place in 1912, a father hands his son a copy of On the Origin of Species, telling him, "Books can ignite fires in your mind." That book does, in fact, ignite the boy's mind, as well as his curiosity.

Could you talk about a particular book that ignited a fire in your own mind?

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.

Our game for this month is Just Joshing: John Oliver Edition!

Flex your creativity and word-finding skills as you fill in the blanks to create your own joke, following the example of the comedian John Oliver. Since the LOLs are in the details, try making your joke as specific (or weird) as possible.

For example, if I give you "The only things you should be buying on eBay are _____ and _____," then you might give me "The only things you should be buying on eBay are pieces of gum chewed by Elvis and unassembled snowmen." (Oliver's actual joke was "The only things you should be buying on eBay are vintage RadioShack swag and a discarded e-meter from the Church of Scientology.")

Try this one today:

"You know a country [like the Netherlands] is in pretty good shape when their workers turn down free money. 'We do not need your five dollars, for we are each given a fair wage and universal healthcare and _____ and _____.'"

To see my crack at it, as well as Oliver's original joke, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of IGNITE could be

A. TELL or INFORM.
B. SLAKE or EXTINGUISH.
C. PLAN or ORCHESTRATE.

2. Knowing that "fatuous" means "foolish," and using what you know about the word "ignite," you could figure out that ignus fatuus is Latin for "foolish _____: something that misleads you, like a mystical, elusive light in a swamp."

A. star
B. fire
C. path

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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