Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MIASMA

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connect today's word to others: You might see today's word miasma and start humming this tune by They Might Be Giants. When the band realized the technical inaccuracy of some song lyrics--"The sun is a mass of incandescent gas"--they sang this: "The sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma." A miasma is a noxious cloud of vapor: either the real kind, like in a marsh, or the figurative kind, like in a scandal. A close synonym of miasma is m___itis: an outpouring of poisonous gas. When you call something m___itic, you mean it's literally or figuratively foul-smelling or retch-inducing.  (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "MIASMA" "Miasma" comes from the Greek word for "pollute." Literally, a miasma is a harmful cloud of vapor. Figuratively, a miasma is something that reminds you of a toxic, stinking, swirling, and/or overwhelming cloud of vapor.     Pronunciation: "my AZ muh" (that's my preference) or "me AZ muh" Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one miasma or multiple miasmas--or if you prefer fancy plurals, more than one miasmata.) Other forms worth knowing: Miasmas, or miasmata; miasmic, miasmal, or miasmatic; and miasmically, miasmally, or miasmatically. How to use it: Often we talk about a miasma of some bad thing: a miasma of denials, a miasma of propaganda or misinformation, a miasma of distrust or suspicion, a miasma of corruption. (Although a miasma is usually foul or toxic, some writers use this word in a neutral way, as in "a miasma of questions" or "a miasma of memories." Personally, I say we maintain the word's foul, toxic tone. We have tons of other cool words to describe good or neutral clouds of things: swirls, mists, masses, legions, plethoras, hodgepodges, etc.) Because a miasma is a figurative cloud of vapor, you can talk about a miasma that clouds, obscures, surrounds, poisons, pollutes, swirls around, or emanates from something. And you can talk about clearing or dispelling a miasma, breathing in or choking in a miasma, seeing through or being blinded by a miasma, etc. Sometimes we add an adjective: a thick or roiling miasma, a verbal or moral miasma. And you might get slightly more literal and talk about, say, the miasma from someone's cigar, or a miasma of unwashed tourists. examples: He was raised in a miasma of superstition, struggling to see reality from inside the haze. Not even the "not guilty" ruling could dispel the miasmic fog of disgrace surrounding her. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "miasma" means when you can explain it without saying "toxic swirl" or "foul cloud." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "You can almost see the (fury, anxiety, resentment, unrest, scandal, opposition, etc.) as it rises, miasmally, around (a person, an issue, or a situation)." Example: "You can almost see the anger as it rises, miasmally, around the new stricter gun laws." 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. Our game last month was called "Quirky Keepers."  We played with a bunch of bizarre, oddly specific words—words that deserve a place in our vocabulary, even though they're too wacky and rare to explore in full issues of Make Your Point. (I found most of these words in Charles Harrington Elster’s outrageously entertaining book, There’s A Word For It: A Grandiloquent Guide to Life.) See if you can recall the word--the quirky keeper--from the previous issue: In Mean Girls, Aaron observes, "Look, there's good and bad to everybody. Right? Regina's just... she's just more upfront about it." What adjective describes this good-and-bad mixture within all of us? (It's eight syllables.)  See the answer by scrolling all the way down. Now, a new game for April: "The Meanings of Maladies." I'll share a tidbit about the word for a particular symptom, disease, or condition, and you try to name it. We'll start with common maladies and work our way toward the rare and strange. Try this today: The word for this common condition was coined in 1906 from Greek roots meaning "other or different" and "energy or activity," with the idea being that the body reacts in certain unusual ways to outside substances. It's related to other words about energy or activity, such as "energy" itself and "ergonomics." What's the name for this condition? (I'll share the answer in the next issue.) review today's word: 1. A close opposite of MIASMA is A. SOFT TOUCH. B. FINE DETAIL. C. FRESH AIR. 2. That October, a miasma of scandal _____ the football team. A. pelted B. clung to C. sloshed over 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. Answer to the game question: We're agathokakological: made up of both good and evil. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B