Make Your Point: TEMPESTUOUS

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pronounce TEMPESTUOUS:

tem PEST yew us

connect this word to others:

The word tempestuous is cousins with lots of words about weather and time, like time, tempo, temperature, contemporary, and __temp____eous ("done without any preparation time beforehand"). Can you recall that last one?

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

definition:

"Tempest" and its adjective "tempestuous" trace back to the Latin tempestas, which could mean "storm or commotion" but also "season, weather, occasion, or time."

A tempest is a sudden wild, windy storm. And something tempestuous is full of sudden, strong, wild activity or fighting, like a violent storm.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a tempestuous summer," "Their relationship is tempestuous."

Other forms:

Tempest(s), tempestuously, tempestuousness.

how to use it:

"Tempestuous" is a fun, emphatic, semi-common alternative to words like "stormy," "furious," and "rocky."

You might talk about a tempestuous period of time, like a tempestuous summer or year.

Or, talk about tempestuous music, fights, relationships, breakups, transitions, emotions, or moods.

Even people (and their behavior and personalities) can be called tempestuous. "He's a tempestuous director; don't work for him." "She claims to hate drama but is absolutely tempestuous."

examples:

"The oldest of twelve children (four of whom died in infancy), [William Clarke Quantrill] endured a tempestuous childhood."
— Chris Haugh, Stories in Stone, 17 September 2021

"Inside a star's tempestuous atmosphere, a planet's motions can be dominated by gravitational forces, making it sink toward the stellar core, where it will be completely shredded."
— Noah Taylor Tillman, Scientific American, 23 August 2022

has this page helped you understand "tempestuous"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "tempestuous" without saying "stormy" or "turbulent."

try it out:

You may have heard the idiom "a tempest in a teapot," meaning "a big noisy fuss over something really minor."

Think of some event, issue, or struggle that's going on right now. It might be a national event that's getting a lot of news coverage, or a personal event that's taking up a lot of your time. Ten years from now, do you think it'd be fair to call it a tempest in a teapot? Why or why not?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "It Sounds Wiser in Latin."

Longtime readers will recognize this game. It's back, with fresh new (okay, mostly ancient) Latin idioms!

Try matching a handful of Latin phrases to their English translations. If you need some clues, I'll provide them in the form of definitions of related English words. For example, the clue "Something anguine reminds you of a snake" could help you determine that "Latet anguis in herba" means "A snake hides in the grass."

You can see the answers by scrolling to the bottom of the issue.

Try these today:

1. A diabolo, qui est simia dei.
2. Aegroto dum anima est, spes est.
3. Difficilius est sarcire concordiam quam rumpere.
4. Dulce est miseris socios habuisse doloris.
5. Ne eligat is qui donum accipit.

A. A receiver of a gift doesn't get to choose it.
B. As long as there is life there is hope.
C. From the devil, who is a monkey god.
D. It is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in misfortune.
E. It is harder to restore harmony than sow dissension.

To peek at the clues, follow the links:

1. Diablerie is...
2. Accord, or concord, is...
3. To immiserate people is to...

review this word:

1. The opposite of TEMPESTUOUS is

A. LOYAL.
B. PATIENT.
C. PEACEFUL.

2. In a novel, Pablo Cartaya wrote, "Love is not a tempestuous _____; it is a _____."

A. sea .. calm river
B. fruit .. full banquet
C. picnic .. brutal battlefield

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A 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.

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