incarnate
Definitions
Embodied in flesh or human form; in living form
化为肉身的，具人形的；活生生的
(after a noun) representing a quality in its purest, living form
（置于名词后）……的化身，典型
To give bodily or concrete form to an idea or quality
使具体化；体现，是……的化身
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedin- (into) + carn (flesh) + -ate = 'made into flesh.' When an idea, a god, or a quality takes on a physical body, it becomes incarnate. As an adjective it often follows the noun for emphasis: evil incarnate ('evil in living form'). As a verb, to incarnate something is to give it concrete bodily form. Note the pronunciation shift: the adjective ends /-nət/, the verb /-neɪt/.
Root carn still carries 13 more wordsWhy It Means This
The image at the heart of incarnate is abstraction putting on a body. In Christian theology it names God becoming human flesh in Jesus. But the everyday use is the postpositive adjective — 'the devil incarnate,' 'patience incarnate' — where a person so perfectly embodies a quality that the quality seems to walk around in flesh. The flesh metaphor makes the abstract suddenly tangible.
Usage Guide
- Stress/pronunciation: adjective in-CAR-nate /-nət/ vs verb in-CAR-nate /-neɪt/ — same spelling, different final vowel.
- Postpositive adjective: most common as 'NOUN + incarnate' = the living embodiment of: evil incarnate, beauty incarnate.
- Verb (formal): 'to incarnate an ideal' — rather literary/formal; in plain speech people say 'embody' instead.
Example Sentences
- 1.
To his enemies he was evil incarnate, beyond any reasoning.
- 2.
The poet tried to incarnate grief in a single, simple image.
- 3.
Many religions speak of a god who chooses to become incarnate.