Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ZEPHYR

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pronounce ZEPHYR: Say it "ZEFF er." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: The lovely word zephyr comes from Greek mythology, from the name of a god associated with sweet springtime breezes--that is, with fru___fying breezes, the kind that allows for plants to flourish. Can you recall that word? It means "helping to grow fruit, or less literally, helping to prosper." If you guessed "fruit-ifying," you're extremely close! (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: In Greek myth, the four Anemoi are gods of the wind, one for each direction: Boreas, god of the north wind; Notus, god of the south wind; Eurus, god of the east wind; and Zephyrus, god of the west wind. The capitalized name Zephyrus, or for short, Zephyr, is the west wind, personified--especially as a soft, sweet, gentle, pleasant wind, the kind that suggests the start of springtime or the growth of fruit and flowers. And more generally, a zephyr is any gentle wind or breeze. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "A zephyr lifted the balloon into a tree." Other forms:  The plural is "zephyrs." It's very common. When you need an adjective, take your pick from "zephyrean," "zephyrian," "zephyrous," "zephyry," and "zephyr-like." All five are rare but are recognized by dictionaries and have been used in print. The opposite adjective is "zephyrless."     Finally, "zephyr" is a verb, too, though it's rare. It's the intransitive kind: "A scent zephyrs in through the window." "She zephyred into town." how to use it: The word "zephyr" is formal and semi-common. It's beautiful and poetic, with a very positive tone. It's great for literal use: "We sat in the grass, watching the dandelions bend with the zephyrs;" "Her hair fanned out with every zephyr;" "It's a village of zephyrs, quiet and peaceful." It's also great in similes, metaphors, and other comparisons: "the zephyr of emotional intensity that blows through the film (The New Yorker);" "music sweeter than the zephyr's breath (Robert Green Ingersoll);" "They feel life is a little breath, a whimsical zephyr capering for a moment through space (Ben Hecht)." examples: "The searing heat suddenly came to an end as light zephyrs wafted in to lower temperatures and lift spirits."    — Guy Trebay, New York Times, 27 June 2017 "Fly away on my zephyr. I feel it more than ever. And in this perfect weather, We'll find a place together."    — Red Hot Chili Peppers, "The Zephyr Song," 2002    has this page helped you understand "zephyr"? 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 "zephyr" without saying "gentle breeze" or "soft wind." try it out: Because a zephyr is so light, gentle, and sweet, it makes a great simile, whether you're being serious ("Her voice is as soft as a zephyr") or silly ("Her voice is about as aggressive as a zephyr and won't even carry to the first row of the audience"). Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something) is as (light, gentle, or sweet; or heavy, aggressive, or mean) as a zephyr." Example: "He's five feet nine, about as heavy as a zephyr, and he spends every match getting clobbered by opposing centerbacks."    — Brian Phillips, The New Yorker, 2 July 2018 If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) 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 for this month is Obits Tidbits! Check out a tidbit from the obituary of an extraordinary person, and see if you can name who it was. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. From CNN: "She [remained] the same down-to-earth, slightly impish, engaging woman the public first saw many decades before. 'I am the luckiest old broad on two feet,' she told CNN in 2017." If you need some hints, highlight the hidden white text below.    This obituary was published on… December 31st, 2021    This person's initials are… B. W. review this word: 1. A near opposite of ZEPHYR could be A. CODE. B. BLAST. C. BLESSING. 2. Forgive me for laughing at the irony: in 1909, _____ demolished the village of Zephyr, Texas. A. a tsunami B. a tornado C. an earthquake Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. B Answer to the game question: Betty White. 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.