- aeipathy (n.) an enduring and consuming passion
- annus mirabilis (latin) (n.) (phr.) a remarkable or notable year in history; a year of wonders or miracles, used to speak hopefully of the future
- antiscians (n.) people who live on opposite sides of the world, "whose shadows at noon are cast in opposite directions"
- apodyopsis (n.) the act of mentally undressing someone
- appetence (origin: french) (n.) an eager desire, an instinctive inclination; an attraction or a natural bond
- asterismos (n.) "marking with stars"; a word that gives weight or draws attention to the words that follow; related to asterism, a constellation or a starlike figure of light
- atermoiements (n.) distractions or hesitations leading to procrastination
- autophile (n.) a person who loves solitude, being alone
- baisemain (n.) a kiss on the hand
- balter (origin: middle english) (v.) to dance artlessly, without particular grace of skill but usually with enjoyment
- basorexia (n.) the overwhelming desire to kiss
- brontide (n.) the low rumble of distant thunder
- cafuné (v.) running your fingers through your lover's hair
- caim (n.) lit. "sanctuary"; an invisible circle of protection, drawn around the body with the hand, that reminds you that you are safe and loved, even in the darkest times
- clinomania (n.) excessive desire to stay in bed
- coruscate (v.) to reflect brilliantly; to sparkle
- culaccino (origin: italian) (n.) the mark left on a table by a cold glass.
- dépaysement (origin: french) (n.) the feeling that comes from not being in one's home country
- dérive (origin: french) (n.) lit. "drift"; a spontaneous journey where the traveller leaves their life behind for a time to let the spirit of the landscape and architecture attract and move them
- diaphanous (adj.) light, translucent, and delicate
- duende (n.) the mysterious power of art to deeply move a person
- ebullience (n.) bubbling enthusiasm
- eesome (adj.) pleasing to the eye
- eigengrau (n.) "dark light" or "brain grey"; the color seen by the eye in perfect darkness
- eleutheromania (n.) an intense and irresistible desire for freedom
- epoch (n.) a particular period of time in history or a person's life
- eternitarian (n.) one who believes in the eternity of the soul
- euneirophrenia (n.) the please of mind that comes from having pleasant dreams
- eunoia (n.) beautiful thinking; a well mind
- eutony (n.) the pleasantness of a word's sound
- feuillemort (n.) the color of a dying leaf
- fika (v.) drinking coffee along with eating something sweet
- finifugal (origin: latin)(adj.) hating endings; of someone who tries to avoid or prolong the final moments of a story, relationship, or some other journey
- firgun (פירגון) (hebrew; origin: german) (n.) the act of sharing in or even contributing to someone else's pleasure of fortune, with a purely generous heart and without jealousy; or of sharing credit fairly
- fjka (n.) a state of mind when there is an aspiration for or to do nothing; a mood where mind and body drift in a totally relaxed state
- forelsket (n.) the euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love
- frisson (n.) a shiver of pleasure
- gökotta (origin: swedish) (n.) lit "dawn picnic to hear the first birdsong"; the act of rising in the early morning to watch the birds or to go outside to appreciate nature
- gumusservi (n.) moonlight shining on water
- ikigai (n.) a reason for being; the thing that gets you up in the morning
- jaaneman (origin: persian) (n.) (phr.) lit. "soul of me"; gender-neutral word for sweetheart or darling
- jayus (origin: indonesian) (n.) a joke told so poorly and so unfunny that one can't help but laugh
- jouska (n.) a hypothetical conversation that you compulsively play out in your head
- kairos (καιρός) (origin: greek) (n.) the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement; also, weather
- kalon (n.) beauty that is more than skin-deep
- kalopsia (n.) the delusion of thing being more beautiful than they really are
- kilig (n.) the rush or the inexplicable joy one feels after seeing or experiencing something romantic
- kintsukuroi (n.) (v.phr.) "to repair with gold"; the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken
- komorebi (木漏れ日) (n.) sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees
- la douleur exquise (n.) the heart-wrenching pain of wanting the affection of someone unattainable
- lalochezia (n.) the emotional relief gained from using abusive or profane language
- latibule (n.) a hiding place; a place of safety and comfort
- lethe (origin: greek) (n.) a river in the greek underworld that, when drunk from, made souls forget the sufferings of life; oblivion or something to make you enter oblivion and forget
- liberosis (n.) the desire to care less about things
- lilt (v.) to move musically
- livsnjutare (n.) one who loves life deeply and lives it to the extreme
- logastellus (n.) a person whose love of words is greater than their knowledge of words
- logolepsy (n.) an obsession with world
- logophile (n.) a person who loves words
- luftmensch (n.) an impractical dreamer with no business sense; one with their head in the clouds
- mamihlapinatapai (origin: yaghan language) (n.) a look shared by two people, each wishing that the other one would initiate something they both desire but which neither wants to begin
- mångata (origin: swedish) (n.) the roadlike reflection of the moon on the water
- meliorism (n.) the belief that the world gets better; the belief that humans can improve the world
- mélomanie (n.) an excessive and abnormal love and deep attraction to music and melody
- meraki (v.) to do something with soul, creativity, or love; to put something of yourself into your work
- misplacia (n.) a feeling of nostalgia for a time you are currently living
- myötähäpeä (n.) the feeling of shame you experience on the behalf of another person or a character when they do something stupid or embarrassing
- nazlanmak (turkish) (v.) pretending reluctance or indifference when you are actually willing or eager; saying no and meaning yes
- nefelibata (n.) lit. "cloud-walker"; one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination or dreams; one who does not obey the conventions of society, literature, or art
- nemesism (origin: greek) (n.) frustration, anger, or aggression directed inward, toward oneself and on's way of living
- nepenthe (n.) something that can make you forget grief or suffering
- noceur (n.) one who sleeps late or not at all; one who stays out late to revel or party
- numinous (adj.) describing an experience that makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted - the powerful, personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired
- offing (n.) the deep, distant stretch of the ocean that is still visible from the land; the foreseeable future
- oneirataxia (n.) the inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality
- onism (n.) the frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time
- opia (n.) the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable
- orenda (origin: iroquoian) (n.) a mystical force present in all people that empowers them to affect the world, or to affect change in their own lives
- orphic (adj.) mysterious and entrancing; beyond ordinary understanding
- palinoia (origin: greek) (n.) the obsessive repetition of an act until it is perfect or mastered
- pana po'o (origin: hawaiian) (v.) the act of scratching your head in order to help you remember something you have forgotten
- phosphenes (n.) the colors or "stars" you see when you rub your eyes
- pochemuchka (origin: russian) (n.) someone who asks a lot of questions.
- psithurism (n.) the sound of the wind in the trees
- querencia (origin: spanish) (n.) a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place you are your most authentic self
- readultery (n.) the act of being unfaithful to one book by reading another concurrently
- redamancy (origin: latin) (n.) the act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full
- resfeber (origin: swedish) (n.) the restless race of the traveller's heart before the journey begins, when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together; a 'travel fever' that can manifest as an illness
- retrophile (n.) a lover of past eras and objects
- retrouvaille (n.) the joy of meeting or finding someone again after a long separation; rediscovery
- sankofa (n.) (phr.) "go back and fetch it"; we must look back to the past so that we may understand how we became what we are, and move forward to a better future
- saudade (n.) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant, or that has been loved and than lost
- scintilla (n.) a tiny, brilliant flash or spark; a small thing; a barely-visible trace
- scripturient (adj.) having a consuming passion to write
- selcouth (adj.) unfamiliar, rare, strange, and yet marvelous
- serein (origin: french) (n.) the fine, light rain that falls from a clear sky at sunset or in the early hours of night; evening serenity
- sirimiri (n.) a light rain, a fine drizzle
- skinship (origin: japanese) (n.) bonding through the intimacy of touch, especially of the closeness between a parent and child
- solivagant (adj.) wandering alone
- sonder (n.) the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own
- sophrosyne (σωφροσύνη) (origin: greek) (n.) a healthy state of mind, characterized by self-control, moderation, and a deep awareness of one's true self, and resulting in true happiness
- sphallolalia (n.) flirtatious talk that leads nowhere
- sturmfrei (adj.) lit. "stormfree"; the freedom of not being watched by a parent or superior; being alone at a place and having the ability to do what you want
- sweven (n.) a vision seen in sleep; a dream
- tacenda (n.) things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence
- toska (origin: russia) (n.) an inexplicable and dull ache of the soul; a yearning and longing for nothing in particular
- tristful (adj.) deeply yet romantically melancholy
- ultramarine (adj.) beyond the sea - (n.) a brilliant deep blue color
- vorfreude (n.) the joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures
- waldeinsamkeit (origin: germany) (n.) a feeling of being alone in the woods
- yuputka (n.) the phantom sensation of something crawling on your skin
feb 9 2017 ∞
dec 28 2018 +