Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PABULUM

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connect today's word to others: Pabulum's most literal meaning is "food." You can say the same for f___er, which more often means "raw material that gets used for some specific purpose. " Can you recall that word? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PABULUM" First, pabulum is food or nourishment, or more abstractly, stuff that nourishes your mind or your spirit. Sounds pleasant, right? The Mead Johnson Company would agree. In 1931, they took the word "pabulum" and shortened it to "pablum," then used that as a name for their soft, mushy, easy-to-digest cereal for babies. (Like Kleenex and Band-Aid, Pablum is a trademarked name.)  Out of that sense we get our second meaning: pabulum is stuff that entertains you or teaches you in an unexciting or unoriginal way, as if it's feeding you a soft, mushy, practically pre-digested meal. Pronunciation: PAB yuh lum Part of speech: Usually an uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the pabulum," "this pabulum," "its pabulum," "such pabulum," "no pabulum," and so on, but don’t say "pabulums.") Occasionally we treat "pabulum" as a singular noun and talk about "a pabulum of something." Other forms: None are used today. How to use it: Although you can be literal and talk about the pabulum of butterflies or microbes or plants, or talk about blood being the pabulum of living tissue, we'll focus on figurative use. Keep in mind that "pabulum" is still like "food" even when you're being abstract. Talk about people, groups, media, and productions (like authors, pundits, news outlets, television channels, movies, novels, etc.) that are pabulum or that serve, offer, afford, furnish, or churn out pabulum. And talk about people (like fans, readers, customers, consumers, subscribers, etc.) who consume, swallow, digest, or feed on pabulum or who perhaps reject, spit out, or choke on pabulum. You can specify a type of pabulum: "the pabulum of wisdom," "the pabulum of 'The Family Circus,'" "this pabulum of Fifty Shades." Or, specify who the pabulum is for: "pabulum for grammar nerds," "pabulum for eager young readers," "pabulum for conspiracy theorists," "pabulum for the idiocracy" (ouch). The tone of this word can be positive or negative, but these days it's more often negative: when we say "pabulum," we're much more likely to mean "mindless entertainment; flavorless intellectual sustenance" than "things that satisfy the intellect or the soul." examples: Sometimes I crave music more substantial than the pabulum served on the radio--something that doesn't rhyme "smile" with "while" or "blue" with "you." (Other times, I eat it up.) Not everyone sees how Book 13 is any different from 1-12; regardless, the publisher keeps serving that pabulum and the readers keep digesting it. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "pabulum" means when you can explain it without saying "pap" or "insipid fare." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "Until I discovered _____, I'd been subsisting on the pabulum (of/on/in/from) _____." Example: "Until I discovered subreddits (microcommunities for, say, well-organized makeup collections, beautifully rendered data, and derpy kittens), I'd been subsisting on the pabulum from Reddit's default page." 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 this month is Banishing Bland Adjectives. In each issue, we're strengthening our word-finding skills as we take aim at a vague little adjective and think up three ways to make it more specific. Resist the urge to sneak off to the thesaurus! From the previous issue: NICE. 1. When people seem NICE because they're so easy to talk to and so easy to spend time with, then instead of NICE, call them _____. 2. When people seem NICE because they are very aware of the people around them and they make sure to say and do the right things to make those people feel comfortable, then instead of NICE, call them _____. 3. When things or places seem NICE because they have everything you need to make you feel relaxed and happy, then instead of NICE, call them _____. Suggested answers: 1, sociable; 2, courteous; 3, comfortable. (Your answers might be different but just as precise.) Today: MEAN. 1. When people seem MEAN because they treat others like enemies, then instead of MEAN, call them _____. 2. When people seem MEAN because everything seems to bother them and they keep responding with mean little comments, then instead of MEAN, call them _____. 3. When people seem MEAN because nothing is ever good enough for them and they constantly complain, then instead of MEAN, call them _____. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of PABULUM is A. POISON B. FRIENDSHIP C. BACKPEDALING 2. The remake of the movie does little more than _____ the original and _____ it into pabulum. A. dissect .. reanimate B. chop up .. grind C. ransack .. hurl 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. B