Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PENURIOUS

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: Someone afflicted by either poverty or miserliness is penurious. Let's focus on that second meaning: someone who's miserly, like Scrooge, can be called either penurious or par_____ious. Can you recall that second word? Like today's, it has two meanings. One is "stingy, greedy, miserly, unwilling to share." What's the other? Hint: it's a good thing. make your point with... "PENURIOUS" "Penury" (PEN yuh ree) is another word for "poverty" or "shortage." (It's based on the Latin word for "need, scarcity.") So, someone or something penurious is either very poor and very much in need or is cheap and stingy in a selfish way. Pronunciation: Several ways are correct. I recommend "puh NURE ee us." 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 penurious thing" or "a penurious person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was penurious" or "He was penurious.") Other forms: penury/penuriousness, penuriously Is it related to "penny"? Nope, "penurious" is not related to "penny." Still, the similarity can help us remember the meaning: someone penurious is either penniless or penny-pinching. How to use it: For the first meaning, "in serious need, in deep poverty, seriously lacking," talk about penurious people, penurious conditions, penurious lives and fortunes, and so on. Or, be abstract and talk about penurious land, soil, and streams; penurious vigor and beauty, etc. For the second meaning, "cheap, grudging, stingy, unwilling to share," talk about penurious people and their penurious ways, manners, and habits; their penurious saving and penurious (minimal) spending; their penurious actions and decisions and attempts, etc. When we talk about penurious people, the context usually reveals whether we mean they're impoverished or miserly. But if you talk about penurious projects, budgets, or campaigns, be certain that you've used enough context to make your meaning clear. You might mean that those things are "impoverished" because they are so poorly funded, or you might mean that they're "miserly" because they provide such poor funding. Or, both! examples: Public education is supposed to be the pathway out of penury. That year, frustrated by the school's penurious budget and tired of doing without just to make up for it, she made up her mind to spend zero of her own dollars on her classroom. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "penurious" means when you can explain it without saying "in need" or "selfish." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "Instead of using (some standard item), penurious (college students, young professionals, city dwellers, etc.) make do with _____." Example: "Instead of using dressers, penurious college students make do with milk crates." 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 called Felicitous Names.  A felicitous name for a fictional character is a highly appropriate name, a name that fits that character so perfectly that you just know the writer picked it on purpose. This month, draw on your knowledge of both vocabulary and fiction to pick out the right name for the character described. Enjoy! From our previous issue: You need a felicitous name for a totally inept space captain, someone wildly reckless with both property and lives. Do you pick Brannigan, Kirk, or Reynolds? Why? Answer: A brannigan is a binge or a spree, which is appropriate for Zap Brannigan, the foolhardy spaceship captain on the show Futurama. Try this today: Imagine a character who's a skilled liar: someone who tells bold, beautiful, entertaining, poetic, almost musical lies. Is the most felicitous name for this character Lydia, Lyra, or Liza? Why?  review today's word: 1. One opposite of PENURIOUS is A. AFFRONTED B. AFFLUENT C. AFFIXED 2. The Fifth Ward is a penurious neighborhood, with most of its children _____. A. participating in piano or soccer lessons B. qualifying for free or reduced lunch C. grown and gone Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, 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. B 2. B