Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EMANATE

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pronounce EMANATE: Say it "EM uh nate." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: Heat, light, and energy all emanate from the sun, or d_r_v_ from it. Can you recall that synonym? It literally means "to stream from," so it looks a bit like the word river. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)  definition: The word "emanate" has been around in English in some form or another since the 1500s. It has Latin bits that mean "to flow out." And that's still exactly what it means. To emanate is to flow outward from a source. "Light emanates from the sun." "Music emanated from the house party." "The smell of cinnamon emanated from his mug of tea." "A sense of peace and tranquility emanated from her as she sat." grammatical bits: Part of speech: Verb, usually the intransitive kind: "Joy emanates from her face." Sometimes the transitive kind: "The new paperback books emanate a warm scent." Other forms:  Emanated, emanating; emanation(s). That noun, "emanation," is great for general use--check out the example below from Obama--but it also has a specific meaning in theology, basically that all things in the universe flow out from God. If you need an adjective, there's a rare one, "emanative." Or you could stick with "emanating." how to use it: Pick the formal, sophisticated, common word "emanate" to talk about things that flow outward from some source, often steadily. Things that emanate are often light, heat, sound, noise, music, voices, words, and emotions. Most often, we say that one thing emanates from another. "Energy emanated from the dance floor." "The scent of buttery popcorn emanated from the concession stand." Or, just say that something emanates somewhere. "The stone hits the pond, and ripples emanate across the surface." The tone of this word is often positive--often it's light, laughter, or beautiful smells that emanate--but it can be negative. "Hostility emanated from their faces." examples: "Matthias... halted by the first figure, unable to distinguish who it was, but feeling an aura of friendly kinship emanating from it."    — Brian Jacques, Redwall, 1986    "The roiling plumes [of the oil spill] looked forceful, menacing, like emanations from hell."    — Barack Obama, A Promised Land, 2020 has this page helped you understand "emanate"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "emanate" without saying "radiate" or "spring forth." try it out: From a J. K. Rowling book, check out how Fleur Delacour enters a scene: "A young woman was standing in the doorway, a woman of such breathtaking beauty that the room seemed to have become strangely airless. She was tall and willowy with long blonde hair and appeared to emanate a faint, silvery glow." Let's follow Rowling's example: "(Some character or real-life person) (emanates, or appears to emanate) (a certain kind of glow, aura, mood, emotion, or characteristic)." Here's mine: "Smiling and slouching in his photo on the back of the book, the poet emanates playfulness." If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) 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: MYP Anagrams! Rearrange the letters in the given word to form a word we've studied before. For example, if I give you THREAD, you give me DEARTH. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Try this one today: Rearrange the letters in GUANINE to make an adjective. To peek at the clues, highlight the hidden white text below.    The definition is… looking like a snake, or reminding you of a snake.    The first letter is… A. review this word: 1. The opposite of EMANATING is A. HIDING or LATENT. B. SOARING or SKYLARKING. C. HESITATING or WAFFLING. 2. "Emanate" is the apt name of a _____, which seems to promise _____. A. swanky tapas restaurant .. tiny portions and staggering prices B. public relations firm .. the wide spread of your gleaming reputation C. heavy metal band .. piercingly screamed lyrics and unhinged guitar solos Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B Answer to the game question: Anguine. Something anguine looks like a snake, or reminds you of a snake. 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.