Make Your Point > Archived Issues > COLONNADE
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pronounce
COLONNADE:
Say it "CALL uh NADE."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Today, we're checking out the majestic word colonnade, meaning "a line of supporting columns"--in other words, "a line of p_____s."
Could you recall that p-word? Used figuratively, it means "a person or thing that provides strong, stable support." As in, "Now Coy, dad blame it, that ain't no way to act. We supposed to be p_____s of the community."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Our word "colonnade" comes to us through French and Italian, ultimately from the Latin word for "pillar," columna.
Literally speaking, a colonnade is a row of columns, usually grand, beautiful, and evenly spaced.
(Thanks for the image, Wikipedia!)
And figuratively speaking, a colonnade is any row or group of things that seems grand, beautiful, still, steady, and symmetrical.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind: "The building features a colonnade;" "We walked past the colonnades of the museum district."
Other forms:
The plural is "colonnades." And something that has a colonnade can be called "colonnaded."
how to use it:
"Colonnade" is one of those grand, majestic, very specific words that makes us think of stone, marble, temples, theaters, museums, colonial mansions, the White House, and ancient Rome.
We most often use it literally: "They walked through the colonnade;" "They gathered by the colonnade;" "They stood on the steps of the White House colonnade."
But we can also get figurative and refer to any row of tall, stately things as a colonnade, such as a row of trees, stalagmites, very still soldiers, etc.
examples:
"The room was caught between old and new, between stone colonnades and stainless steel floors, between the very latest in high tech and old curiosities from the Industrial Revolution."
— Anthony Horowitz, Stormbreaker, 2006
"By the late afternoon the big burrow was beginning to take shape. At the north end, the beech roots formed a kind of irregular colonnade. This gave way to a more open central space..."
— Richard Adams, Watership Down, 1972
has this page helped you understand "colonnade"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "colonnade" without saying "grand row of columns" or "graceful series of pillars."
try it out:
According to Wayfair.com, this "classic and stunning colonnade arbor adds a touch of beauty and timeless elegance to any outdoor wedding or formal event."
Hmm, I don't know, y'all. It's made of polyethylene (plastic). And something about a plastic colonnade just tickles my funny bone.
What do you think? Is this particular colonnade, indeed, classic, stunning, and timeless? Or is it tacky? Would you want it at your wedding?
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 January is "Find the Missing Link."
In each chain of words, find the one that's missing from the middle. This missing link, according to a thesaurus, is a synonym of each word on its left and right. But as you'll see, the words on the left and right are most definitely not synonyms!
For example, if I give you "special → _____ → typical," then you answer, "peculiar," because sometimes "peculiar" means "special, different, odd," but other times it means "typical of this, specific to this, distinctively this."
To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Your answer might be different from mine but just as good. Enjoy!
Try this one today:
wrangle → _____ → depart
review this word:
1. A near opposite of COLONNADED is
A. UNADORNED.
B. UNBOUNDED.
C. UNORDERED.
2. A writer for the Washington Post described a building as lacking certain "conventional signifiers," namely "the _____ staircase, the tall colonnade, the _____ landscaping."
A. dizzying .. wild
B. wide .. pristine
C. steep .. bizarre
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:
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.
Today, we're checking out the majestic word colonnade, meaning "a line of supporting columns"--in other words, "a line of p_____s."
Our word "colonnade" comes to us through French and Italian, ultimately from the Latin word for "pillar," columna.
Part of speech:
"Colonnade" is one of those grand, majestic, very specific words that makes us think of stone, marble, temples, theaters, museums, colonial mansions, the White House, and ancient Rome.
"The room was caught between old and new, between stone colonnades and stainless steel floors, between the very latest in high tech and old curiosities from the Industrial Revolution."
Explain the meaning of "colonnade" without saying "grand row of columns" or "graceful series of pillars."
According to Wayfair.com, this "classic and stunning colonnade arbor adds a touch of beauty and timeless elegance to any outdoor wedding or formal event."
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.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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