Make Your Point > Archived Issues > VARIEGATED
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"VARIEGATED"
Pronunciation:
VARE ee uh gay tid.
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 variegated skill set.”
2. After a linking verb, as in "The skill set was variegated.”)
Meaning:
Something variegated has spots or patches of different colors. More loosely, something variegated is lively because of how varied (diverse) it is.
Other forms:
variegate, variegating, variegation, unvariegated
How to use it:
Concretely, talk about variegated stones, leaves, plants, landscapes, horses, cats, patterns, etc., and you might say that something is variegated with certain colors, marks, spots, stripes, or patches. Abstractly, talk about variegated diets, skills, hobbies, methods and approaches, goals, reactions, people and cultures, ideas and beliefs and opinions, abundances and supplies and options, and so on.
While my neighbor has been away, her variegated garden, thick with rainbows of flowers, has become overgrown yet now looks even more charming.
Compared to the variegated menu at the Hawaiian Style Cafe, the Hilo Bay Cafe offers very few options, but every dish is high-quality and delicious.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "variegated” means when you can explain it without saying “splotchy" or “colorfully diverse."
Think of the last dream you had that seemed to jump from scene to scene, then fill in the blanks: "My dream rambled on in variegated confusion, from _____ to _____."
Example: "My dream rambled on in variegated confusion, from the slick concrete floor of the basement of a childhood house in Kansas to the hot, bright stage of the local Palace theater."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
Playing With Words:
Our game for May is: “What Do These Words Have in Common?”
The three words given will have something specific in common. (More than one right answer might be possible, but I've only got one particular answer in mind for each set of words.) I've arranged the questions from easiest to hardest, so today’s should be very difficult.
From yesterday:
What do these words have in common?: catch-22, quark, beatnik
Answer: All were invented by writers: catch-22 by Joseph Heller, quark by James Joyce, and beatnik by Herb Caen, a newspaper columnist.
Try this one today: cantaloupe, bayonet, satin
A Point Well Made:
David Whyte: “Heartbreak is how we mature; yet we use the word heartbreak as if it only occurs when things have gone wrong: an unrequited love, a shattered dream... But heartbreak may be the very essence of being human, of being on the journey from here to there, and of coming to care deeply for what we find along the way.”
1. The opposite of VARIEGATED is
A. FAKE
B. HYPNOTIZING
C. MONOCHROMATIC
2. Mia, a variegated cat, has _____.
A. fur so soft that it feels unreal
B. the impression that she is actually a small human
C. pretty splotches of black, white, and light brown on her coat
Answers are below.
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Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.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. C
2. C
![]() "VARIEGATED" Pronunciation:
VARE ee uh gay tid.
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