Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MESSIANIC

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connect today's word to others: A messianic person is a specific kind of crazy, the kind that makes you scoot away from her on the bus. She's also a specific kind of z___ot: someone so enthusiastic about something that it's extreme. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "MESSIANIC" A messiah (sometimes capitalized: a Messiah) is a savior or any leader who is so enthusiastic about something that it's extreme or crazy. So, someone or something messianic is either related to a messiah, or is extremely inspired or extremely enthusiastic in a way that reminds you of an extreme, crazy leader who thinks he's a savior. Pronunciation: MESS ee AN ick Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a messianic thing" or "a messianic person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was messianic" or "He was messianic.") Other forms: messiah(s) How to use it: Although you might talk specifically about Messianic Jews or the Jewish Messianic Church, we'll keep our focus on the more general meaning of this word. Talk about a messianic person or figure, a messianic speech or oration, a messianic book or documentary, a messianic policy or approach, a messianic vision or mission, a messianic belief or perspective, etc. Or, talk about someone's messianic conceit or delusions, or someone's messianic fervor or enthusiasm. If you say that someone has a messianic complex, you mean he truly believes he's going to save everyone or that he's all-powerful. That's bonkers, so keep in mind that "messianic" carries a harsh, negative tone. examples: It took him years to unroot all those messianic delusions. I find his messianic rhetoric unsettling: "We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny." study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "messianic" means when you can explain it without saying "fanatical" or "devoted." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(There's/there was) this messianic push for (some idea that people embraced, unrealistically, as an amazing or perfect solution)." Example: "There was this messianic push for low-carb diets." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Last month, we played "Coiners & Coinages." You used your knowledge of science, history, literature, and vocabulary as you matched newly coined words to the people who coined them, and vice versa.  From our previous issue: A neologism is a new word, a new phrase, or an old word with a new meaning. Who coined this word for a newly coined word? In other words, what wordily-named wordsmith coined the word NEOLOGISM: was it Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, Jean Nicolas Jouin de Sauseuil, or Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor? Answer: It was Jean Nicolas Jouin de Sauseuil, a knight from Paris who lived in the 1700s. (Here's the sentence where he first used it, in a book about French pronunciation: "Observations on this Neologism... I thought indeed I was intirely done with this Canon when I came to the explication of the last word Hecaterogenosem.") (I tried to find out what "Hecaterogenosem" means, y'all, but no luck. I trust you won't lose any sleep over it.) You probably knew it wasn't Oscar Wilde--and you know Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor by her stage name, Lorde. Next, a new game for December! :) This month, see if you can associate a snippet of song lyrics with a word we’ve studied before. For example, here's Dave Matthews: "Wasting time, let the hours roll by doing nothing for the fun. A little taste of the good life." Those lyrics call to mind the word LOTUS-EATING. Try this today: In "Circus," Britney Spears sings, "There's only two types of people in the world: the ones that entertain, and the ones that observe." Do those lyrics call to mind the word DICHOTOMY, TELEOLOGICAL, or WELTER? Why? review today's word: 1. A near opposite of MESSIANIC is A. ARDENT. B. IMMACULATE. C. INDIFFERENT. 2. I knew she loved girly movies full of shopping montages, but I wasn't prepared for her messianic _____. A. distaste for serious movies B. collection of them C. zeal for them 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. C 2. C