Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INCARNATE

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

explore the archives: To incarnate something is to give it flesh: to bring it to life. If you don't like the way incarnate reminds you of zombies, you might instead pick our synonym ac____ize, which means "to bring something to life, to make it real" and has a positive, psychological, totally zombie-free flavor. make your point with... "INCARNATE" "Incarnate" is Latin for "made flesh" ("put into the form of a living human body"), so today it means "personified" or "embodied." In other words, when you say that a person is some quality incarnate (like ambition incarnate, evil incarnate, or virtue incarnate), you mean that the quality seems to have a bodily form in that person. Pronunciation: Either "in CAR nit" or "in CAR nate" Part of speech: It's an adjective, so talk about "an incarnate thing" or, more commonly, "a thing incarnate." It's also a verb: you incarnate someone or something (give it a body or express it with your own body or existence) or incarnate something in/into something else (transfer it into something else, as if you've given it a new body). Other forms: incarnated, incarnating, incarnation(s) How to use it: This word is always an exaggeration and usually dramatic.  We tend to stick the adjective "incarnate" after the noun it describes. (Normally we follow the pattern adjective+noun: "yellow taxi," not "taxi yellow," but for "incarnate" we prefer the order noun+adjective: "decency incarnate.") The most common way we use this word is to call someone evil incarnate or the devil incarnate. Harsh! You might prefer to talk about someone who is ambition incarnate, beauty incarnate, intelligence incarnate, wisdom incarnate, and so on. With "incarnate," we're basically saying that a quality or idea comes to life in a person. But you can flip that around and say that a person is incarnate in a thing or an idea: "Twain remains incarnate in his stories." Some people use the word more loosely and call a thing or a place something incarnate: "These botanical gardens are nature incarnate." For the verb, talk about someone incarnating something: "Unfortunately, she incarnates that stereotype." "Playing Romeo, Leonard Whiting incarnated puppy love." Fun note: "Incarnate" can also mean "light pink or crimson," "the color of flesh" (even though skin comes in lots of other colors, obviously). That explains why carnations, those flowers that are often pink, are called carnations. examples: Both critics and fans of To Kill of Mockingbird point out that Atticus is morality incarnate. I'd thought all the older Disney villains were evil for the heck of it, you know, the devil incarnate, but I realized while re-watching Cinderella that the evil stepmother was just trying to help her own two graceless kids do well in life. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "incarnate" means when you can explain it without saying "in the flesh" or "made concrete." try it out: Who's a historical figure who comes to mind immediately when you think of bravery, kindness, optimism, perseverance, or some other quality you value? Fill in the blanks: "We embrace (Person) as (quality) incarnate." Example: "We embrace Harriet Tubman as bravery incarnate." 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. This month, we'll play with rhyming puzzles as we review previous words.  Examples: Someone who belts out songs in church with great gusto has ____ ___. Answer: hymn vim. And the barbecue place where you always meet up with your friends from Dallas and Houston is your _____ _____. Answer: Texas nexus.The puzzles, and their answers, will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. Click or mouse-over the link to the clue if you need it, and see each answer the following day. Enjoy! Try this today: A robbery that's planned and executed in an especially clever and skilled way is a ____ _____. (Two words, one syllable each. Clue: use this word.) review today's word: 1. One opposite of TO INCARNATE is A. TO SUBLIMATE: to elevate or refine B. TO REINCARNATE: to bring into a new body C. TO DISINCARNATE: to remove from a material body 2. Searching for a more vicious, more hyperbolic way to brand the politician a liar, the editor settled on the phrase "_____ incarnate." A. quack B. falsehood C. utter Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B