Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BRIO

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connect today's word to others: The lovely word brio came to us through Italian and may have been based on the Latin word ebrius, meaning "drunk." If you've got brio, you might seem inebriated with life. See if you can recall these two synonyms of brio: v__ and v____city. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "BRIO" Brio is vigor or liveliness. In other words, brio is a peppy, active spirit or attitude. Pronunciation: BREE oh Part of speech: Noun. Although it can be a countable noun ("a brio"), more often it's an uncountable noun ("her brio," "the brio of it," "to play with brio"). Other forms: none How to use it: Because "brio" probably came into English through the musical phrase con brio--Italian for "with spirit or vigor"--we should pick it instead of its more familiar synonyms (like "vigor," "liveliness," and "vivacity") when we want to suggest that the energy and liveliness we're describing seems particularly musical, creative, or passionate. Talk about someone's brio, or the brio of something: the actress's brio, the pianist's brio; the brio of the film's animation, the brio of Southwestern art, the brio of Jonathan's poems, the brio of Brazilian society. Or, talk about someone doing something with brio: she plays with brio, he writes with brio, they portray the villains with brio, the crowd chanted with brio. Add an adjective, if you like: his typical brio, her youthful brio, the show's plucky brio, the soundtrack's zestful brio. examples: Tiffany's vacation photos capture the brio of Taiwan's night markets. Always moving, singing, and encouraging, Nancy teaches with a brio that keeps her tiny students excited about learning to read and write. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "brio" means when you can explain it without saying "verve" or "spirit." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) (did something) with (endless, boundless, genuine, sprightly, etc.) brio." Example: "Whenever she caught sight of light-colored hair, Mia purred and dove face-first into it with uninhibited brio." 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. This month, we're playing "Coiners & Coinages." Use your knowledge of science, history, literature, and vocabulary as you match newly coined words to the people who coined them, and vice versa. Let's do this! From our previous issue: Did J. R. R. Tolkien coin the word ELF, HOBBIT, or WRAITH? Answer: In 1937, Tolkien invented the word "hobbit," meaning "hole-dweller" or "a small humanlike creature." He opens his novel The Hobbit like this: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." You can learn more about that word, and others Tolkien coined, here. Try this today: Was it Charles Dickens, Dr. Seuss, or Matt Groening (via Bart Simpson) who coined the word BUTTERFINGERS? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of BRIO is A. SALIENCE. B. TORPOR. C. UNANIMITY. 2. In their music, Con Brio delivers precisely the kind of _____ you'd expect. A. rollicking energy B. complex lyrics C. pensive soul 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. A