Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NIDUS
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pronounce
NIDUS:
Say it "NYE duss."
(It rhymes with "Midas.")
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Often, you can strike a formal, serious tone by swapping out a common term for its rarer, more Latin-y-sounding synonym.
For example, you could say:
n_x_s instead of link,
de___tus instead of debris,
or r__tus instead of awkward smile.
And, of course, nidus instead of nest.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
"Nidus" comes straight from Latin, where it means "nest."
Literally speaking, a nidus can be a nest, or any place where a creature keeps its eggs safe.
Figuratively speaking, a nidus can be the place where a virus or disease starts, or the place where something (usually a bad thing) is born and grows.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech: noun, the countable kind: "the nidus of this trend is Instagram."
Other forms: The plural is simply "niduses," or if you prefer a more scholarly one, "nidi" (pronounced "NYE dye").
how to use it:
Because the word "nidus" is used to talk about worms, insects, bacteria, tumors, and diseases, it often carries a negative, even icky tone.
So, assuming you're describing something gross, evil, or harmful, "nidus" makes a nice formal and specific substitute for terms like "nest," "birthplace," and "point of origin."
You might talk about the nidus of a trend, an idea, a philosophy, a movement, an uprising, etc.
examples:
"But surely there was a germ of evil in [bowing to an idol], and this germ found a nidus, found a nest in Gehazi's soul, in which to hatch its evil brood."
— Rev. J. Morgan Gibbon, Men of the Bible: Some Lesser-Known Characters, 1904
"For some patients, medications alone cannot free them from seizures. Among them, occasionally, an underlying structural abnormality in the brain can be the nidus for electrical disarray."
— Abdul-Kareem Ahmed, New York Times, 25 September 2019
has this page helped you understand "nidus"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "nidus" without saying "breeding grounds" or "birthplace."
try it out:
In an 1889 issue, The Catholic World bemoaned the rise of divorce:
"The special nidus of this social bane is Switzerland for the Old World and Massachusetts for the New, in each of which it touches or approaches five per cent of the total of marriages."
Quaint, right?
Talk about another, more modern thing that seems to you like a social bane. Where is its nidus?
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 "Subject Line Crosswords."
We'll revisit some of the email subject lines from 2019 issues, using them as a tool for recall.
Each day this month, see if you can complete the mini-crossword with words we studied last year. If you need extra clues, look below the puzzle to view definitions and parts of speech. And I'll share the answers in the following issue. Enjoy!
From the previous issue:
Extra clues:
ACROSS
2. verb meaning "to try to back up and fix a mistake, change what you said, or entirely take back what you said"
3. adjective meaning "full of color, movement, showiness, and spectacle, as if it's being staged for our entertainment"
DOWN
1. noun meaning "a fake, frozen, and/or awkward smile or grimace"
Answers:
If you like, you can review the words backpedal, circussy, and rictus.
Try this today:
Extra clues:
ACROSS
2. noun meaning "anything that seems fancy, showy, and meaningless"
3. noun meaning "a small thing that's not valuable and not important"
DOWN
1. verb meaning "to cause something, or to bring it into being, as if you're lighting a fire"
review this word:
1. A near opposite of NIDUS is
A. GRAVE.
B. BURROW.
C. HERMITAGE.
2. Joking that the internet itself is the nidus of _____, Ronny Chieng asks, "Who knew all of human knowledge could make people _____?"
A. humility .. smug
B. stupidity .. dumber
C. conformity .. creative
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:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
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.
Often, you can strike a formal, serious tone by swapping out a common term for its rarer, more Latin-y-sounding synonym. "Nidus" comes straight from Latin, where it means "nest."
Part of speech: noun, the countable kind: "the nidus of this trend is Instagram."
Because the word "nidus" is used to talk about worms, insects, bacteria, tumors, and diseases, it often carries a negative, even icky tone.
"But surely there was a germ of evil in [bowing to an idol], and this germ found a nidus, found a nest in Gehazi's soul, in which to hatch its evil brood."
Explain the meaning of "nidus" without saying "breeding grounds" or "birthplace."
In an 1889 issue, The Catholic World bemoaned the rise of divorce:
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.
1. A near opposite of NIDUS is
|