The word luminary has appeared in 62 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Nov. 9 in “Why Correspondence Chess Is Still Popular Among Elite Players” by Greg Keener:
Historically, correspondence chess has been a contemplative diversion for intellectuals, aristocrats and soldiers. The earliest correspondence games for which a surviving record exists took place in 1804, between Friedrich Wilhelm von Mauvillon, a Dutch army officer stationed in The Hague, and a compatriot of his who was stationed in Breda, the Netherlands. Mauvillon published three of these games in a chess book in 1827, forever immortalizing his draw and two victories over his friend.
Looking back even further, it is believed that King Henry I of England, whose reign lasted from 1100 to 1135 A.D., played correspondence chess with his counterpart in France, King Louis VI, who reigned from 1108 until 1137. The French enlightenment writer and luminary Voltaire is noted to have played correspondence chess with his pupil Frederick the Great of Prussia. Their moves were securely escorted by royal courier between Berlin and Paris. It’s also thought that Venetian merchants played correspondence chess with one another, contemplating their next moves on voyages between ports.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word luminary in a sentence?
Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.
Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.
If you want a better idea of how luminary can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
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