Let's enjoy this luminous observation from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice: "How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."

Like today's luminous, our recent word lum_____ comes from the Latin lumen, meaning "light." Could you recall it? It means "a famous, inspirational person who reminds us of a shining light."

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

Someone or something luminous is bright and shiny, or clear and wonderful in a way that reminds you of a bright light.

Pronunciation:
LOO mih nuss

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 "a luminous thing" or "a luminous person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was luminous" or "He was luminous.")

Other forms worth knowing:
luminously, luminosity

How to use it:

This is a beautiful word. I love it.

Talk about objects that are luminous: a luminous insect, a luminous room, a luminous object in space, the luminous morning rain outside your window.

And be figurative: talk about luminous faces and expressions; luminous creations, like luminous art and music and writing; and luminous actions and accomplishments: "his luminous act of selflessness," "a luminous feat of kindness." 

And there's luminous beauty, luminous humor, luminous eloquence, luminous leadership, someone's luminous intelligence, a luminous immersion in something, etc.

You might say that a person is luminous, or has a luminous personality: "She was luminous on stage," "He's luminous at dinner parties."

Or, say that someone or something is luminous with something: luminous with energy, luminous with meaning, luminous with joy.

We love Jewel's luminous voice in "O Holy Night."

In the photograph, as we look at our daughter for the first time, you can see it on our faces: that luminous glee.

Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "luminous" means when you can explain it without saying "radiant" or "illuminating."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Some song, book, movie, or performance) is luminous with (joy, spirit, insight, energy, or happiness)."

Example: "Rosie Revere, Engineer is luminous with creativity."

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.

Subject Line Redux!

You know how I fill the subject line of each Make Your Point email with a little comment about the word? Let's revisit some of those subject lines; they make a good study tool. That is, you'll improve your chances of recalling our words when you need them later if you do this now: look at the little comment from the subject line and use that to recall the word, its meaning, and how it connects to the little comment. (For more on active recall and how you can employ it to strengthen your vocabulary, please go here.)

In each issue this month, I'll share a puzzle or other activity that prompts you to recall 5 previous words based on their subject lines. (To make your own activities like these, check out the fun and useful Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.) And I'll share the answers in the following issue.

From our previous issue: 

Answers:

Try this today:

review today's word:

1. One opposite of LUMINOUS is

A. MURKY.
B. CALMING.
C. THOUGHTLESS.

2. Postcards cannot capture the _____ staggering luminosity.

A. cave's
B. cemetery's
C. coral reef's

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. A
2. C