Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LUPINE

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connect today's word to others: From Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin: "All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. …Think about it. There's escaping from the wolves, fighting the wolves, capturing the wolves, taming the wolves. Being thrown to the wolves, or throwing others to the wolves so the wolves will eat them instead of you. Running with the wolf pack. Turning into a wolf. ... No other decent stories exist."  None? Well, maybe that's taking it a bit far, but I think we all do appreciate the symbolic richness of the wolf. Although wolves don't deserve this reputation, they often represent evil, greed, hunger, danger, predation, and destruction. Someone with those vicious qualities (or someone who just looks wolfy) is lupine. Could you recall the adjective for a person who reminds you of a lion? Hint: it also ends in "-ine." And like I just did for wolves, could you list some abstract qualities we often associate with lions? (Click the link to find the answer--look for the majestic cat.) make your point with... "LUPINE" "Lupine" comes from the Latin word for "wolf:" lupus. Lupine things and people remind you of wolves, either because they look like wolves or because they have qualities we link to wolves--that is, they're greedy, dangerous, predatory, and/or destructive. Pronunciation: LOO pine 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 lupine thing" or "a lupine person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was lupine" or "He was lupine.") Other forms: When "lupine" is a noun, it's a type of plant. It's not clear why the plant originally reminded us of wolves, but it might be because lupines were once thought to harm the soil they're in. How to use it: Probably because it's obviously from Latin, "lupine" is a somewhat sophisticated, literary word. If you're not sure your audience will understand it, just pick "wolfish" instead. Talk about lupine people and their lupine appearances, posture, bodies, shapes, movements, expressions, faces, smiles, scowls, etc. To get abstract, talk about lupine strategies, attitudes, personalities, and so on. Here's Alexander Nazaryan for Newsweek, complaining about children's literature: "Kindness and sharing are preached without any acknowledgement of how tragically rare these qualities are in the lupine world." Finally, although the wolf does occasionally symbolize cunning and sneakiness, when you want to emphasize those qualities in a person, I recommend picking the word "vulpine" (fox-like) instead of "lupine." examples: We hadn't eaten all day; I was fixated on the menu with an almost lupine ferocity. Robert James-Collier has just the right brooding, lupine look to play Downton Abbey's Thomas: the footman, all sleek grace and cool little smiles, constantly plotting, threatening, intimidating, and manipulating everyone. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "lupine" means when you can explain it without saying "menacing" or "rapacious." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) (does something) with a lupine (slink, grace, stare, growl, or glower)." Example: "A cigarette already in hand, Charles slips off toward the back door with a lupine glower." 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. A near opposite of LUPINE is A. SOFT-SPOKEN. B. LAMB-LIKE. C. JUVENILE. 2. ____ rendered his face lupine. A. Stifled laughter and red cheeks B. Narrowed eyes and tightened jaws C. Tiny wrinkles and brownish age spots 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