Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LARGESSE

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"LARGESSE" Meaning: A largesse is a generous gift (often of money,) and largesse is also the act of generously giving. More loosely, largesse (or a largesse) is also abundance: anything that seems like it was given generously and lavishly. Pronunciation: lar JESS Part of speech: Noun. It's both countable (one largesse, a largesse, these largesses) and uncountable (such largesse, the largesse, much largesse.) Other forms: Largesses. "Largessed" is the adjective, but it's really rare. You can spell this word "largess" if you like. How to use it: Because we easily see and hear the "large" in "largesse," this is one of those words that you can use without worrying that your audience might not understand it. Talk about a largesse, the largesse, someone's largesse, or just plain largesse, and follow it with "of" if you want to specify what the largesse is: "the charity bestowed a largesse of three million dollars on the orphanage," "we thanked them warmly for the largesse," "the newspapers were all abuzz over the billionaire's latest largesse." You can also show largesse, or show largesse to someone: "This article describes how one lady is showing her heartwarming largesse." "We've all heard of Oprah showing her largesse to her talk show guests." Lastly, you might specify what kind of largesse you're talking about: governmental largesse, social largesse, maternal largesse, the largesse of nature, etc. Once in a while, we'll get a warm feeling of hope from a news story about some celebrity's largesse bestowed on an unsuspecting waiter or waitress. He's spent his life dependent on the largesse of his family, and now his gratitude is turning into resentment. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "largesse" means when you can explain it without saying "generosity" or "large gift." Think of something you've been given that you're grateful for, whether it was money, an object, or someone's love, attention, or time, and fill in the blanks: "I'll forever be grateful to (Someone) for his/her/their largesse."  Example: "I'll forever be grateful to all four of my grandparents for their largesse." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, we're playing with some fascinating thematic word lists assembled by Stephen Chrisomalis, an English language expert over at The Phrontistery who kindly gave permission for me to use his work. (Check out his site; you will definitely enjoy it!) Try a question each day, and see the right answers here the following day--or if you can't wait, follow the link to Stephen's list to dig out the answers yourself. Have fun! Yesterday's question: Draw the following symbols, or identify them on the keyboard: a caesura, an octothorp, and a virgule. Answers: A caesura is a vertical line in a text used to indicate a pause or prosodic break, like this: | An octothorp is a hash or pound sign: # And a virgule is a forward slash: / Try this one today: Celadon, corbeau, eau-de-nil, and lovat are all types of what? Can't wait until tomorrow for the right answer? Check out Stephen's full list and discussion at the Phrontistery. A Point Well Made: Charles Darwin: “The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.” 1. The opposite of LARGESSE is A. SELFLESSNESS B. STINGINESS C. SAFETY 2. Governmental largesse will always have its place, but _____ is ultimately better. A. self-rule B. self-sufficiency C. self-esteem Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B Exploring the archives: You can spell today's word "largesse" or "largess"--take your pick. We also recently looked at "j___a," which you can spell "j___o" if you prefer, and it means a group of people working together toward a goal (often in a ruthless, sneaky way.) Could you recall this word? Hint: the "j" is pronounced as "h."