Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NEXUS
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connect this word to others:
"Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer extortion. The X makes it sound cool."
Bender's right. I suspect that the very coolness of the letter X also explains the wild popularity of the word nexus.
Attesting to this popularity, Wikipedia currently lists 81 individual entities named Nexus--musical groups, university publications, tax codes, legal theories, fictional places, that Google smartphone, a cultural festival, a psychedelic drug. And more. And if you double up on that cool X, you get Nexxus, a line of hair care products. (They're nice.)
Clearly, nexus is hip.
Less hip, but still blessed with a cool "x," is its synonym j_x____sition. Can you recall that one?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"NEXUS"
This word is from a Latin one meaning "to bind or connect," so it's closely related to the words "connect" and "annex."
A nexus is a point where different things come together, as if by crossing. In other words, it's a link, a connection, or an intersection.
Sometimes, we use "nexus" more loosely to mean "a network, a cluster, or a group of connected things."
Even more loosely, some writers use "nexus" to mean "the core, the heart, or the very center of something."
Pronunciation:
NECK suss
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "it's a nexus," "it's at the nexus," "the nexus of science and religion."
Other forms:
The adjective is "nexal," pronounced "NECK sull."
The plural noun is simply "nexuses." Or, if you don't mind sounding over-educated, then write the plural the same as the singular ("nexus") and pronounce it "NECK soose."
How to use it:
Even though "nexus" is a very old word, straight from Latin and appearing first in English in a 1663 text titled Some Considerations Touching the Vsefvlnesse of Experimental Naturall Philosophy, it still manages to sound stylish and high-tech.
And, it's common enough that everybody understands it--whether it's being used to mean "link," "network," or "center."
The most common way we use this word is in a phrase like "the nexus of this and that," or some similar variation. Let's see some examples: "the nexus of big money and politics" (The New Yorker), "the nexus of genetics, society and politics" (Nature), "the nexus of celebrity, pop psychology and potential salvation" (Los Angeles Times), "the food-energy-water nexus" (Scientific American), "Harlem, the cultural nexus of the novel and the film" (New York Times).
It's worth noticing that, when we're talking about crime and justice, the word "nexus" often means "a link that's been proven to exist between certain people, places, or events." More specifically, you might hear lawyers talk about a strong nexus, a direct nexus, or even a causal nexus. Or the nexus between drug use and crime, or the nexus between crime and terrorism.
examples:
"With four hospitals and a medical school, the area is increasingly a medical nexus for the region."
— Sara Burnett, Seattle Times, 28 July 2019
"These days, [Michael] Bennett sits at the nexus of several narratives surrounding the N.F.L. What a fan thinks of him probably depends on which of those narratives that fan is inclined to credit."
— Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 10 December 2018
has this page helped you understand "nexus"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "nexus" without saying "intersection" or "network."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Describe how something interesting involves many varied elements.) At the nexus of it all is _____."
Example: "The show is an exploration of the nobility's opulent banquets during the Age of Exploration and the era of Shakespeare--and the human price of those feasts. At the nexus of it all is sugar."
— Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 11 March 2019
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.
This month, we're playing Name Those Synonyms!
We're enjoying the gracefully written, ultra-authoritative explanations in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Handbook of Synonyms, Antonyms, and Prepositions. In each issue, check out the passage from the book, and see if you can figure out which synonyms are being distinguished.
From the previous issue: What four synonyms (<1>, <2>, <3>, and <4>) does the Handbook distinguish below?
Choose from the following word bank, which also includes words you won't use: cognition, comprehension, experience, information, intelligence, knowledge, learning, lore, science, wisdom.
"<1> is all that the mind knows, from whatever source derived or obtained, or by whatever process; the aggregate of facts, truths, or principles acquired or retained by the mind, including alike the intuitions native to the mind and all that has been learned respecting phenomena, causes, laws, principles, literature, etc. There is a tendency to regard <1> as accurate and systematic, and to a certain degree complete; and in this it approaches the meaning of <2>. <3> is <1> of fact, real or supposed, derived from persons, books, or observation, and is regarded as casual and haphazard. We say of a studious man that he has a great store of <1>, or of an intelligent man of the world, that he has a fund of varied <3>. <4> is used in poetic or elevated style, for accumulated <1>, as of a people or age, or in a more limited sense for 'learning' or 'erudition.'"
Answers:
<1> is "knowledge"
<2> is "science."
<3> is "information."
<4> is "lore."
Try this today: What five synonyms (<1>, <2>, <3>, <4>, and <5>) does the Handbook distinguish below?
Choose from the following word bank, which also includes words you won't use: calm, collected, composed, gentle, placid, sedate, serene, tranquil, unruffled.
"One is <1> who has subdued excited feeling; he is <2> when he has every thought, feeling, or perception awake and at command. <3> refers to a present state; <4>, to a prevailing tendency. We speak of a <3> mind, a <4> disposition. The <5> spirit dwells as if in the clear upper air, above all storm and shadow."
Bonus challenge: Recall the fine differences among "important," "considerable," "weighty," and "momentous." You can view the answer in this issue.
review this word:
1. A near opposite of NEXUS is
A. GEM.
B. VEHICLE.
C. SEPARATION.
2. In cell biology, the nexus is where membranes are _____.
A. fused
B. created
C. thinnest
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.
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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.
This word is from a Latin one meaning "to bind or connect," so it's closely related to the words "connect" and "annex."
"With four hospitals and a medical school, the area is increasingly a medical nexus for the region."
Explain the meaning of "nexus" without saying "intersection" or "network."
Fill in the blanks: "(Describe how something interesting involves many varied elements.) At the nexus of it all is _____."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of NEXUS is
|