Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ABSCOND
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connect today's word to others:
The Latin roots that make up the word abscond literally mean "to hide away," and today when someone absconds, he's slipping away to go hide, usually to avoid being caught, especially with something he stole.
Could you recall another word that also has cond in it and involves hiding? It's r_cond___, an adjective that means "known or understood by hardly anybody; seeming to be hidden away from regular folks."
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make your point with...
"ABSCOND"
To abscond is to run off and hide.
Pronunciation:
Either "ab SCOND" or "ub SCOND."
Part of speech:
Verb,
the intransitive kind:
"she absconded," "he's absconding," "they're absconding with the paintings."
Other forms:
Absconded, absconding, absconder(s).
We have three versions of the noun: abscondence, abscondment, & absconsion.
How to use it:
Talk about people absconding--usually people like thieves, pickpockets, prisoners, kidnappers, people wanted for questioning by the police, etc.
People abscond from a place, abscond to another place, and abscond with something they stole.
To use this word more loosely or figuratively, talk about teenagers absconding from their rooms late at night, engaged couples absconding to Vegas, talented employees absconding to better companies, performers and films absconding with awards and accolades, random socks absconding from the dryer, etc.
examples:
For someone who absconded from her royal responsibilities into a life of solitude and seclusion, Elsa built a surprisingly conspicuous new castle.
"The frontier has always intrigued me, but from a safe, playing-Oregon-Trail-in-a-computer-lab kind of distance. Now there I was, except I was steering an American-made Ford, not a rickety wagon prone to absconding wheels, and death by dysentery wasn’t a significant concern."
—Sarah Khan, The New York Times, 26 September 2017
study it now:
Look away from the screen to define "abscond" without saying "escape" or "make off with."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "While (someone was doing something), (someone else) was absconding with (something)."
Concrete example: "While the substitute wasn't looking, we absconded with all the bathroom passes."
Abstract example: "While the employees were squabbling over minor differences in their pay rates, the CEO was absconding with millions every year."
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.
Apt Adjective Anagrams!
I'll invent a person's name and a brief description of that person, and you unscramble the letters in the name to form an adjective that aptly describes the person or the person's situation.
For example, if I say "Naomi Cirous is still holding a grudge," then you rearrange the letters in "Naomi Cirous" to form the adjective "acrimonious," meaning "sharp, bitter, and mean"--an appropriate adjective for someone holding a grudge.
From the previous issue: Brianna Bodging runs an absolutely enormous company.
Answer: Her company is Brobdingnagian.
Try this today: Ursula Gro will talk your ear off.
review today's word:
1. A close opposite of ABSCOND is
A. STARTLE.
B. ARRIVE.
C. HIDE.
2. Rumor has it that, before founding his own restaurant, he had absconded _____.
A. his previous employees into working extra hours off the clock
B. from his position in another restaurant with a copy of its recipes
C. for years from the cash register in the restaurant where he worked
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. B
2. B
The Latin roots that make up the word abscond literally mean "to hide away," and today when someone absconds, he's slipping away to go hide, usually to avoid being caught, especially with something he stole.
"ABSCOND" To abscond is to run off and hide. Pronunciation: Other forms:
For someone who absconded from her royal responsibilities into a life of solitude and seclusion, Elsa built a surprisingly conspicuous new castle.
Look away from the screen to define "abscond" without saying "escape" or "make off with."
Fill in the blanks: "While (someone was doing something), (someone else) was absconding with (something)."
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.
1. A close opposite of ABSCOND is
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. |