Make Your Point: SAGE

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pronounce SAGE:

SAGE

connect this word to others:

The word sage is closely related to these three:

1. sap____e, "the power to understand deeply or use good judgment;"

2. ins_p__, "stupid, bland, or dull, like food with no flavor or taste;" and

3. sav___-f___e, "knowledge of what to do in social situations, or more loosely, a certain cool style or ethos."

They all trace back to the Latin sapere, "to know, to be wise, or to have taste."

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

definition:

"Sage" traces back to the Latin sapere, "to be wise." For many centuries in English, we've used it to mean both "wise" and "a person who's very wise."

More specifically:

Sage people and things are wise in a way that shows good, careful judgment that comes from lots of experience in life.

And a sage is a person who's deeply wise (with good, careful judgment that comes from lots of experience in life) and tends to teach others.

If you're wondering about "sage," the bush, the herb, and the color, that one actually has a separate etymology. It traces back to the Latin salvus, meaning "healthy."

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Often an adjective: "Commencement speeches are full of sage advice."

Also a noun for the person: "Thales was a sage of ancient Greece."

Other forms:

The adverb is "sagely," as in "The child speaks as sagely as a crone" (George R. R. Martin).

The noun for the quality is "sageness," as in "Confucius was known for his sageness."

(If you were thinking the noun was "sagacity," you're on the right track! But "sagacity" is the noun form of "sagacious," a different word than "sage," with a different etymology. Sagacious people are smart in a shrewd way, as if able to sniff out lies, while sage people are smart in a profound way, as if able to see deep universal truths.)

The plural noun for the people is "sages," as in "Solon of Athens and Chilon of Sparta are among the seven sages of ancient Greece."

how to use it:

When you want an especially dignified synonym of "wise," pick the formal, serious, common word "sage."

Talk about sage advice, sage perspectives and understandings, and even sage people: "Now in his seventies, he's thoughtful and sage."

examples:

"It was through life experience and sage advice from my grandmother and mother, a single parent with limited means, that I learnt skills to navigate stressful times."
— Luana Marques, Nature, 2 June 2020

"[Google] hails Canadian professor, philosopher, and media sage Marshall McLuhan as a man who 'saw the internet coming — and predicted just how much impact it would have.'"
— Megan Farokhmanesh, The Verge, 21 July 2017

"Half my life's in books' written pages,
Storing facts learned from fools and from sages."
— Aerosmith, "Dream On," 1973

has this page helped you understand "sage"?

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 "sage" without saying "judicious" or "discerning."

try it out:

(Source)

Thinking of a book, movie, or show that you enjoy, describe the character who seems the most sage. See if you can list three or four examples of sage comments they've made or sage advice they've given.

For example, you might pick Yoda from Star Wars, Wilson from Home Improvement, or Dumbledore from Harry Potter.

I'll pick Captain Picard from Star Trek. Here are some of his sagest quotes:

1. "Things are only impossible until they are not."
2. "To say you have no choice is a failure of imagination."
3. "That is what it is to be human: To make yourself more than you are."
4. "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness. That is life."
5. "Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment because it will never come again."

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 Make Your Point Before & After!

I'll give you a clue, and you give me a verbal mashup including at least one word or phrase we've studied before.

For example, if I give you "It's the kind of theatrical stage setting that encourages the actors to radically overact," then you give me "mise en scenery chewing," a mashup of "mise en scene" and "scenery chewing."

Try this one today: It's the party game for little kids that holds the whole party together.

To reveal the first two hints, highlight the hidden white text.

Hint 1: The number of words in this Before & After is... six.

Hint 2: The first word in this Before & After is... well, that's too big of a hint, but the first letter is L."

Hint 3: Use this term.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. One opposite of SAGE is

A. HARSH.
B. FOOLISH.
C. UNSOLICITED.

2. At the risk of sounding "like an old sage," Carlo Rizzi, a professional opera conductor since 1982, told the New York Times in 2022, "_____."

A. I'm always terrified. I never get over my stage fright
B. I'm always in development. I learn more about conducting every day
C. I'm always in self-doubt. I get impostor syndrome at every performance

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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