Made to Last
Eight words for the things that endure, and every way to know them.
Meet each word one at a time, then take the quiz to lock them in.
Wonderful Words · Today with the Mayor
Made to Last
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Nelson's word
fortune
noun
Fortune. A noun. I file it under two close meanings that share one word. First, a great amount of money: the sailor who traded spices made a fortune. Second, good luck, the kind that falls your way: good fortune smiled on the town that spring. One word, two treasures, and both worth keeping. It comes from an old root for chance, which is why a fortune can be money you earned or luck you were handed. State it precisely: a fortune is a great store of money or a great stroke of luck.
The old sailor made a fortune trading spices across the sea.
Ways to know it
MeaningWord Detective
Nelson's word
custom
noun
Custom. A noun, and one I file with care, because it holds a group together. A custom is a usual way of doing things that a family, a town, or a nation keeps year after year: the custom of sharing one good thing at dinner, the custom of a summer parade. It is not a law and not a rule; it is simply what a group has always done, passed down until it feels like their own. File it next to tradition and habit. A custom is made to last, which is exactly why it is worth knowing.
It is a custom in our family to share one good thing at dinner.
Ways to know it
MeaningWord Detective
Vinny's word
appreciate
verb
Appreciate! To look at a thing, to truly see its worth, and to feel grateful for it deep down! When the players appreciate the fans, they do not just notice the cheering; they value it and carry it with them. That is the verb, and it is mine, and it is a heroic little act, because it is easy to take a good thing for granted and harder to stop and prize it. Watch it against seize, which grabs a thing fast; to appreciate is the opposite pace, slow and thankful. Learn the difference, and you will never mix them up.
The players appreciate every fan who cheers from the stands.
Ways to know it
MeaningWord Detective
Vinny's word
seize
verb
Seize! To grab, to snatch, to take hold of a thing FAST before it slips away! When the goalie seizes the ball out of the air, there is no waiting, no thinking twice; the hands close and the ball is caught. That is the verb, and it is a hero's move, quick and sure. Seize the day means grab the chance while it is right in front of you. Do not confuse it with appreciate, which is slow and grateful; to seize is sudden and bold. Same team, two very different speeds.
The goalie leaps and seizes the ball out of the air.
Ways to know it
MeaningWord Detective
Jake's word
reliable
adjective
Reliable. Oh, this is a good one, and it is mine. As an adjective, reliable describes someone or something you can trust to do what is needed, again and again: a reliable friend, a reliable old truck that always starts. Look at the middle of the word, rely, the thing you lean on. Add able, and reliable means able to be relied on. Its Frown is undependable, the one who lets you down. Could we be more specific than saying a friend was good? We could say the friend was reliable, and mean that you can count on them. Magnifique.
A reliable friend shows up on time, every single time.
Ways to know it
MeaningSmile or FrownWord Family
Jake's word
dependable
adjective
Dependable. An adjective, mine, describing someone or something steady, someone you can count on without a worry: a dependable bus that arrives at eight sharp, a dependable helper who never lets the team down. Inside it sits depend, the thing you lean your weight on, and able, meaning able to be. So dependable means able to be depended on. It is a close cousin of reliable, and they share the same warm promise: you can trust me. Could we do better than saying someone was helpful? We could call them dependable, and say that they will always be there.
Our dependable bus arrives at the same corner at eight o'clock sharp.
Ways to know it
MeaningSmile or FrownWord Family
Benny's word
generously
adverb
Generously. Now here is an adverb worth training up, and I own the adverb the way Nelson owns the noun. Generously tells you HOW an action is done: in a giving, unselfish way. She shares her lunch generously; the sharing is the verb, and generously is the coaching note that tells you she gives freely, holding nothing back. Hear that ly on the end? That is the adverb's badge; it hooks onto generous and turns a quality into the way you act. Frown at it and you get selfishly, the tight-fisted way. Make your writing sharper: do not just say she shared, tell us she shared generously. You can do that, and here is why it lands: the reader feels the open hand.
She shares her lunch generously with anyone who forgot theirs.
Ways to know it
MeaningSmile or Frown
Benny's word
sincerely
adverb
Sincerely. Another adverb, and a heartfelt one, so let us train it well. Sincerely tells you HOW something is said or done: in an honest, truly-meant way, straight from the heart. He thanked the coach sincerely; the thanking is the verb, and sincerely is the note that says he meant every word. That ly badge tells you it is an adverb, built from sincere, honest and real. It is the word you sign at the bottom of a heartfelt letter for a reason. Do not settle for saying he spoke; tell us he spoke sincerely, and the reader knows to trust him. Make it sharper, every time.
He thanked the coach sincerely for believing in him.
Ways to know it
MeaningSmile or Frown