This is the best post ever written on any blog in the history of the internet!

Okay, that’s a little exaggeration on our part. Actually, that’s a lot of exaggeration (though we do think this is a excellent vocabulary blog, of course). In fact, it’s hyperbole: deliberate, over-the-top exaggeration used in order to produce a specific effect. The word comes from the Latin roots hyper- (beyond) and bole (throw) and has the sense of “going too far.” Hyperbole is frequently used in figures of speech, not to be taken literally.

Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!

No matter how hungry you are, or how small the horse, it’s unlikely that you’d be able to eat the whole thing at one go. However, the phrase does give the listener a good idea of exactly how hungry you are. Hyperbole is an effective way to communicate an idea or an impression, because the images it evokes are usually very easy to visualize and understand.

The word hyperbolic means in an exaggerated fashion, or given to hyperbole. In mathematics, hyperbolic also refers to a hyperbola: an open curve that goes out to infinity; that is, it “goes beyond” the horizon.

Now that you know the meaning of the root hyper-, can you guess the meaning of these vocabulary words?

• hyperactive
• hypertext
• hyperextended
• hypersonic

Hyperactive means overly active. This word is often used to describe young children, or anyone who has trouble sitting still.

Hypertext is a term used in web design. When you place your cursor over an image and a box pops up explaining what the image is, that’s hypertext – words that go “above” the image. A hyperlink takes you “beyond” the page you’re currently on.

Physical therapists caution people from hyperextending their arms and legs, because that extreme flexing, or over-extending, of the joint can tear ligaments.

A loud “boom” signals the passing of a jet flying overhead at hypersonic speed, going faster than the speed of sound.

Keep studying vocabulary, and you’ll be prepared for anything – and that’s no exaggeration.