Make Your Point: CONFLUENCE

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pronounce CONFLUENCE:

KONN flew unce

connect this word to others:

A confluence, literally a "flowing together, like where rivers meet," is a union, a junction, a convergence, a constellation, a co___tion.

Can you recall that last synonym? It's based on a verb, co___esce, meaning "to join, to combine," and more literally, "to grow up together: to be nourished together, like siblings."

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

definition:

(Source)

Inside the word "confluence," you can glimpse the Latin bits com- ("together") and fluere ("to flow").

That's what a confluence is: a flowing together, a place where two streams of water meet.

Figuratively speaking, a confluence of things or people is a gathering, a joining, a combination, or an intersection of those people or things, as if they were separate rivers flowing into one.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun. It's usually the countable kind, as in "a confluence of rivers," "that confluence of streets," "the confluence of kindness and intelligence."

Other forms:

The plural noun is "confluences."

There's also an adjective, "confluent;" and an adverb, "confluently."

how to use it:

Pick the formal, common word "confluence" when you want to compare two things, people, or groups to a pair of streams or rivers that are joining, forming into a single, larger, possibly more powerful whole.

Talk about the confluence of things: "a confluence of events," "that confluence of social changes," "this confluence of talent and hard work." Here's the New York Times: "Sometimes a confluence of music and dance is the tonic you didn't know you needed."

That's all assuming you want to speak figuratively! You could also speak literally about the confluence of (or between) two streams, rivers, streets, or other physical things where things or people are flowing.

examples:

"Throughout the years, Pittsburgh had welcomed all—anyone who wanted to work hard could come to the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers."
  — Justina Ireland, Ophie's Ghosts, 2021

"It was this confluence — French culture merging with Native American and African cultures — that created Creole food, as well as this cornmeal soufflé!"
  — Bibi Hutchings, Salon, 21 April 2023

has this page helped you understand "confluence"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

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

study it:

Explain the meaning of "confluence" without saying "assemblage" or "convergence."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Something) is the (best or worst) ever, thanks to a confluence of (successes, catastrophes, events, factors, or other things)."

Example 1: "I thought the finale of Stranger Things was the best episode ever, thanks to a confluence of satisfying storylines."

Example 2: "'Worst' NBA season ever? A confluence of catastrophes have made it so...Pro basketball lost at least $1 billion (and probably more), was embroiled in political turmoil that exposed tensions at home and in China, lost two titans of the sport, one in a tragic accident, and suffered a double-digit drop in the percentage of viewership. "
— Joe Vardon, New York Times, 4 June 2020

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 "That's A New One!"

I'll define and describe an amusing term that Dictionary.com has recently embraced. See if you can come up with it, and if you need more hints, you can reveal them by highlighting the black bits. To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

Try this one today:

According to Dictionary.com, it's either "a person who lives with another in a life partnership, sometimes engaged with no planned wedding date, sometimes with no intention of ever marrying," or "a person whose wedding day is very soon to occur."

It entered English around the year 1955.

It's one word.

It's a compound word.

It's modeled after a very similar-looking word that means "a person who just got married."

It starts with the letter... N.

Its number of syllables is...three.

Its first three letters are... NEA.

review this word:

1. The opposite of a CONFLUENCE could be

A. a PLOY or a DISTRACTION.
B. a FORK or a BIFURCATION.
C. a PRANK or SHENANIGANS.

2. From a novel by M. T. Anderson: "Pythagoras taught that God is a number; Xenophanes that it is a sphere, passionless and consubstantial with all things; Parmenides that it is but the confluence _____ earth and fire."

A. of
B. upon
C. from

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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