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connect today's word to others:

When I see the word esoteric, which means "deep, hidden, mysterious, known only to an elite inner circle of people," I think of that hilarious Ray Stevens song called "Shriner's Convention," about all the esoteric doings of the esoteric Shriners--secret codes, mysterious traditions, clandestine meetings in the dead of night, lofty titles known only among members of the shrine.

Speaking of esoteric titles, let's recall a word we've studied before that appears three times in a row in that same song, a word that means "famous, respected, and glorious:"

"Operator, give me room 321, please.
...Hello, Noble Lumpkin?
This here's the ilous Potentate.
...I said it's the ilous Potentate.
...The ilous--Coy!
Dad blame it! This here's Bubba!"

Apparently Bubba's title was too esoteric for Coy to remember. :)

Before we dig into our word esoteric, let's recall three synonyms for it:

1. Something abse is too deep and complicated for regular people to understand it.

2. Something reite is known or understood by hardly anybody, so it seems to be hidden away from regular folks.

3. Someone or something S_ine reminds you of mythical fortune-telling or is simply mystic and mysterious.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

make your point with...

"ESOTERIC"

This word comes from Greek and literally means "belonging to an inner circle of people."

Something esoteric is deep, obscure, and mysterious to most people, but understood by a small group of intellectual people.

Pronunciation:
ESS uh TAIR ick

Part of speech:
Adjective.
(Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late."
They can be used in two ways:
1. Right before a noun, as in "an esoteric thing."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was esoteric.")

Other forms worth knowing:
The adverb is "esoterically."
For the noun, pick "esoterism" or "esotericism."
If you're talking about a whole collection of details, products, or other things that are esoteric, you can call that collection "esoterica" (ESS oh TAIR ick uh).

How to use it:

Talk about esoteric details, trivia, and information; esoteric references and quotations; esoteric topics, subjects, studies, and disciplines; esoteric films, music, and artwork; esoteric theories and knowledge; esoteric discussions and arguments; an entire esoteric field, industry, or world, etc.

examples:

The documentary Wordplay illuminates the esoteric depths of crossword-solving tournaments.

His shelves overflow with esoterica: books on microchemistry and ornithology, albums by indie bands only twenty people have heard of.

study it now:

Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "esoteric" means when you can explain it without saying "known only by an inner circle" or "intelligible only to the elite."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Back in a certain year or time period), _ was still an esoteric (concept, topic, technique, product, service, or instrument)."

Example: "Back when we were in elementary school, e-mail was still an esoteric concept."

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.

Uncommon Opposites!

In each issue this month, I'll give you a rare word and its definition, and you come up with its more familiar opposite.

For example, if I say, "To exfiltrate is to secretly withdraw people from a dangerous situation," then you come up with the opposite: "infiltrate." Or if I say, "An allograph is something written by someone other than the person concerned," then you come up with "autograph."

We'll take these in order from easy to hard as the month goes on. Ready?

From our previous issue: An advertisee is a person who views an advertisement. What’s the opposite?

Answer: An advertiser.

Try this today: A passéist is someone who looks backward in time: someone who appreciates the values and traditions of the past. What’s the opposite?

review today's word:

1. The exact opposite of ESOTERIC is EXOTERIC, which means

A. "foreign or bizarre."
B. "understood by most people."
C. "characteristic of an earlier time period."

2. Our generation has grown up in a digital world, a world in which ___ seem esoteric.

A. free, real-time, high-resolution video chats
B. the tiny, numerous drawers of a card catalogue
C. the skills required to design and test software programs

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

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