Make Your Point: GAIT

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pronounce GAIT:

GATE

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

Like the words trot, canter, and gallop, the word gait often applies to horses. But it can certainly apply to humans, and to all kinds of abstractions.

The same goes for the word m___le, meaning "liveliness, or strength of character." Horsey, but not always. Can you recall it?

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

definition:

"Gait" comes from an Old Norse word meaning "a way: a lane, or a path."

Going back to the 1500s in English, a gait has been the way that someone walks, steps, or moves.

That's the most common meaning. But we can also get abstract: a gait can be the specific pace or manner in which something seems to be moving along.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the countable kind: "She has a confident gait;" "He kept moving at a steady gait;" "the stiffened gait of a guy in a lot of pain (Brendan Kiely)."

Other forms:

None are common.

When we use the plural noun, "gaits," it's usually to talk about horses. Here's the New York Times: "They guide their horses to perform complex combinations of different gaits, including the walk, trot and canter."

how to use it:

Pick the formal, common word "gait" when you want to describe how someone is walking or moving in an interesting or distinct way. For example, you might talk about a child's playful, lopsided gait as she moves across a playground, or about a cat's graceful, swaying gate as she pads down a hall.

If you'd like to get abstract, talk about the impressive gait of a project, the sluggish gait of your thoughts when you've taken Nyquil, the disappointing gait of your thesis as it ambles through committees, and so on.

examples:

"He walked with the slow, deliberate gait of someone who rushed for no one, with the confidence of a man who ruled the city."
— Ayana Gray, Beasts of Prey, 2021

"There he was: his coat too big over his boyish frame, his gait lurching but determined, his eyes focused ahead."
— Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, 2022

has this page helped you understand "gait"?

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 "gait" without saying "pace" or "walk."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "You can always recognize (some person or fictional character) by (his or her) (certain kind of) gait."

Example: "Even when he's cloaked, you can always recognize the grandpa in Anne Westrick's Brotherhood by his lopsided gait."

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 March: it's the Inkhorn Stinkhorn!

It’s inspired by the Twofer Goofer, created by Collin Waldoch, in which you're given a circumlocutory clue, like "An eater with an excessive appetite for clothes fasteners," and you provide a rhyming answer, in this case "button glutton." You're then treated to an AI-generated rendering of the goofy concept you just named. In general in the Twofer Goofer, the words are straightforward and the AI art is lovely.

But here in the Inkhorn Stinkhorn, the words are pedantic and the AI art is atrocious. Enjoy!

Try this one today: Name a two-word rhyming phrase that means "the sound of many pairs of siblings screaming wildly and banging drums unmusically."

Clue #1: To reveal the first letter of each word, highlight the following text… t___ d__

Clue #2: To reveal one of the words, highlight the following text… twin d__

For the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. A near opposite of a GAIT is

A. a way of TALKING.
B. a way of SITTING.
C. a way of HARMONIZING.

2. According to evolutionary biologists, animals like greyhounds, kangaroos, and cheetahs owe their _____ to an asymmetrical gait.

A. speed
B. dense fur
C. coloration

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.

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