Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CHRYSALIS
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connect today's word to others:
Here's a butterfly pupa, or chrysalis:
You can see why chrysalis comes from a Greek word for "gold," the same one that gave us chrysanthemum ("gold flower") as well as chryselephantine ("made of gold and ivory"), as in "a chryselephantine statue" or, why not, "a chryselephantine vocabulary."
So a chrysalis, literally a "gold sheath," is a shell or casing in which an insect is developing; figuratively, it's any state of protected early development.
The metaphorical power of chrysalis reminds me of the words below. Can you recall them?
1. A ca____ce is something that reminds you of a turtle's hard, protective outer covering, such as someone's attitude or something's appearance.
2. Something go____er is so thin, light, and delicate that it reminds you of the stuff spiderwebs are made of.
3. Eph____a are insects that live for a single day, or any things that last for a very short time.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"CHRYSALIS"
A chrysalis is a state of protected early development, either literally (such as the chrysalis of a caterpillar about to become a butterfly) or figuratively (such as the chrysalis of the college years).
Pronunciation:
KRISS uh liss
Part of speech:
Noun,
the countable kind:
"a chrysalis," "one chrysalis," "several chrysalises."
Other forms:
The plural is "chrysalises."
For an adjective, take your pick: "chrysaline," "chrysalidal," or "chrysaloid."
An alternate noun is "chrysalid," which you can also use like an adjective: "a chrysalid state."
How to use it:
You know how we use the word "metamorphosis" as a figurative synonym of "transformation"? With "metamorphosis," we're comparing someone or something to, say, a caterpillar that morphs quite dramatically into a butterfly.
We do the same thing with the word "chrysalis," meaning a state of development: a place or a period of time in which someone or something is quietly, safely, perhaps invisibly, transforming into its real, final, fully developed self. (Remember this snarky line from Roald Dahl's Matilda? "Your son Wilfred has spent six years as a grub in this school and we are still waiting for him to emerge from the chrysalis.")
So, say that some experience, some state or stage or period, or some place (often a school) is a chrysalis for someone, or talk about how someone remains in, emerges from or breaks out of her chrysalis.
examples:
Though his college was ultra-liberal, he managed to emerge from that chrysalis with his religion intact.
"She’s an early adopter in chrysalis form — curious, unconcerned with convention, seemingly willing to gamble on something unproved, ready to buy."
— Sara Corbett, New York Times, 18 February 2015
study it:
Explain the meaning of "chrysalis" without saying "state of development" or "early protective stage."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "_____ (emerged from, or is still resting in) the chrysalis of _____."
Example: "Judging by her new lyrics, the singer is still resting in the chrysalis of adolescence."
before you review, play:
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.
Our game is "TV Tropes!"
This month, we're playing with tropes from TVTropes.org. TV tropes are storytelling devices, which can come from any source of fiction—TV, movies, books, you name it. They're the archetypes, the story patterns, the plot devices, the cheap tricks, the situational clichés that we see over and over throughout fiction.
Examples of TV tropes include "Skyward Scream," "Banister Slide," "Caught on the Jumbotron," "Burp of Finality," "City People Eat Sushi," "Dance Party Ending," "Clean Pretty Childbirth," "Come Back to Bed, Honey," "Even the Subtitler is Stumped," and tens of thousands more.
Naming a trope can be a straightforward business, as in the "Skyward Scream." But often it demands precision, inviting the use of humorously sophisticated terms. Enter our Make Your Point words.
In each issue this month, consider the name of a TV trope, and try to define it or even give an example from a TV show or other work of fiction.
From the previous issue:
In fiction, what is the trope known as Incessant Music Madness?
Answer:
It's when a character goes berserk from having to listen to the same music over and over. For example, in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf smashes Geordi's lute after hearing him play it incessantly.
Try this today:
In fiction, what is the trope known as Enmity with an Object?
review today's word:
1. A close opposite of CHRYSALIS is
A. CHORION, an outer shell of an insect egg.
B. IMAGO, a fully developed idea or thing, such as an insect.
C. PARASITOID, an insect that depends on, and ultimately kills, another.
2. Not acting on it yet, she lets the idea _____ for a few days in a chrysalis.
A. sleep
B. unfold
C. simmer
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
Here's a butterfly pupa, or chrysalis:
You can see why chrysalis comes from a Greek word for "gold," the same one that gave us chrysanthemum ("gold flower") as well as chryselephantine ("made of gold and ivory"), as in "a chryselephantine statue" or, why not, "a chryselephantine vocabulary." A chrysalis is a state of protected early development, either literally (such as the chrysalis of a caterpillar about to become a butterfly) or figuratively (such as the chrysalis of the college years).
Though his college was ultra-liberal, he managed to emerge from that chrysalis with his religion intact.
Explain the meaning of "chrysalis" without saying "state of development" or "early protective stage."
Fill in the blanks: "_____ (emerged from, or is still resting in) the chrysalis of _____."
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 CHRYSALIS 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. |