15 obscure words that i absolutely love

obviously i am a lover of words. i definitely use them a lot. and i’m super long-winded, no matter whether i am writing or talking. i can go on and on and on… hehe. for me, though, i love words + i use them so much because i have a lot to say. i don’t have answers, and i am not trying to win people over with my words, it’s just that words, alone or strung together in sentences, create a story. they send out a message. the tell us who we are, what we love, and form ideas. they allow us to express ourselves. so, for me, words are power. they inspire, they encourage, they are magical, creative ways to communicate important messages of hope, love, and beauty. words can change lives… and the world. and while writing, poetry, essays, and stories are all art, sometimes just a few letters put together in a certain order to create one single word is a work of art in itself.

i count myself lucky to be someone who can speak two languages, giving me lots of words and meaning and feelings and ways to express myself. but, i dare say that my vocabulary is really great. it’s much more simplistic that i’d like it to be.

so, whenever i run across weird, obscure, beautiful words, my heart flutters and my soul dances. it’s as if certain words exist simply to bring about magic. they become just the most perfect way to describe, create, and express a thought or feeling or moment in time.

just for the beauty of it, i have gathered some words that are obscure, weird, and oh so lovely. they evoke images, visions, and emotions that could not be shared in any other way. i am so tempted to post some images with the following words, but i know that it’s truly better to just let the words conjure up whatever images and feelings we have.

to me, just having those letters together, creating that one, perfect word, is like living a tiny moment of complete peace and connection. read the words below. read them slowly. they are some of my favorites that i have stumbled upon. soak them in. feel the power + beauty that they have. try to say them, if you wish; but more than anything, just experience them.

matutine // just before the dawn

eleutheromania // an intense and irresistible desire for freedom

selcouth // unfamiliar, rare, strange and yet fabulous

susurrus //  a low, soft sound, as of whispering or muttering or a quiet wind, a rustling

smutronställe // ” place of wild strawberries”, a special place, discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation. a personal idyll are from stress or sadness

advesperascit // the approaching dark, the evening draws near

saudade //  a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant, or that has been loved and then lost; “the love that remains”

komorebi // sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees

nefelibata // cloud walker; one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination or dreams, or one who does not obey the conventions of society, literature, or art

eternitarian // one who believes in the eternity of the soul

nemophilist // a haunter of the woods; one who loves the forest and its beauty and solitude

orenda // a mystical force present in all people that empowers them to affect the world, or to affect change in their own lives

aesthete // someone with deep sensitivity to the beauty of art or nature

dérive // “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

querencia //  a place from which one’s strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self

aren’t they just beautiful? which one was your favorite? have you heard any of them before?

sending you lots of power, strength, love, and inspiration today, my dear friends. i’m in the midst of getting in deep at my new job. i’ve met some of the students, been having meetings, and getting my feet with with all of the systems + processes at this school. and, as i was standing, talking in front of the “12th” graders today, i was suddenly, intensely aware of the words that i was saying. and all i could hope for was that they felt my genuineness in telling them that i was there for them. because i am.

that’s the thing with words, you know. they are so very powerful, and they can change everything. but, words infused with intention, followed by action… that’s the stuff that completely changes the world.

 xoxo. liz.

earth • soul • spirit

17 thoughts on “15 obscure words that i absolutely love

  1. I’m definitely an eleutheromaniac. When I’ve worked or been in school, I have this odd sense that my freedom is being impinged upon. I like to be completely free to do whatever I want, so I guess in that way being disabled has been good for me. I’m not sure that being disabled can be considered a good thing but that’s the best way for me to look at it. 🙂 I loved all of the words though and I’m not sure that I have heard of them except maybe “nemophilist.” That one seems familiar. Great post!

    1. What a great example of that word! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reflections on it. It makes it so much richer to be able to read your thoughts on what I’ve written. Thank you!!

  2. I KNOW what komorebi looks like. As soon as I read it, a mental image unfolded itself, evoking hot, lazy summer afternoons under our willowtree… I can feel the heat in the air and see the sun trickling through the leaves. Words have powerful magic.

    1. How beautiful!!! Oh, I love your description. Such amazing imagery and feeling. Yes, words have so much magic and power – and I know we both love that. xoxo

    1. I had only heard of one before – aesthete. But they all just spoke to me in some way. I’m so glad you liked them! Have a beautiful weekend, Dayna. xoxo

  3. Great list. And humbling. I think of myself as having a wide vocabulary but sussurus and aesthete are the only two I knew. I’ve run into eleutheromania but not know what it meant (not proud enough of the vocabulary thing to be bothered looking up stuff I don’t know… 🙂 ). Love these!

  4. What a gorgeous list of words. There were SO many I had never even heard before! Now I must incorporate them into my vocabulary. 🙂

    1. I think that they were all new for me except one. I just felt so loved by them, you know?! xoxo

  5. You’d love the dictionary game. One person picks a word out of the dictionary they think no one else will know. Then everyone writes on a piece of paper what they think it is (the crazier and imaginative the better). Then the person who picked the word reads out all the suggestions including what it actually is. Then everyone can guess which one is the right one. If you guess the right one you get a point – if someone guesses your wrong description to be the right one then you get a point as well!!

    1. I think I’ve played a version of that before! It is fun – and requires a ton of creativity! Game night sometime down the road for us?! 😉 xoxo

  6. Oh Liz, so many fabulous words. I’m rather taken with selcouth – always actually. Happy Friday night (we’re cruising into Saturday morning here) love Sneddy Moo & Me xx

    1. How fun to see you on the blog Lyn! I’m easing into my night as you’re waking up. Wishing you Sneddy and Moo a beautiful Saturday! xoxo

    1. There is one that is Swedish (smultronställe)! But, otherwise, English, I believe. Or Latin-based. 🙂

  7. What a wonderful list! Is saudade an English loan word too? I’ve only ever heard it used by Portuguese speakers. Also, I love querencia: it was described to me (by a non-Spanish speaker) as a place you long for, long to return to, or have a longing for without having been there (like a recognition of a place) and I so understood that. But I love it as a place where you are your most authentic self.

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