Words worth knowing.
Etymology, language, and the stories hiding inside the words you use every day.
petrichor·
sonder·
hiraeth·
serendipity·
ephemeral·
mellifluous·
liminal·
syzygy·
vellichor·
apricity·
petrichor·
sonder·
hiraeth·
serendipity·
ephemeral·
mellifluous·
liminal·
syzygy·
vellichor·
apricity·
Word of the week
Petrichor
The smell of rain on dry earth. Everyone knows this smell. Almost no one knew there was a word for it.
petra = stone · ichor = the fluid in the veins of the gods
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Sonder
Noun
The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.
Coined · Bittersweet
Hiraeth
Noun
A Welsh longing for home — not a place that exists, or ever existed.
Welsh · Melancholy
Liminal
Adjective
Occupying a threshold — the space between what was and what comes next.
Latin · Mysterious
Why do we say that?
All origins →
Why do we say “bless you” when someone sneezes?
It started with the plague. The answer is weirder than you think.
Why is it called a deadline?
It was a literal line. Cross it and you’d be shot.
Why do we call it a honeymoon?
Honey, the moon, and a month of mead. The origin is as romantic as it sounds — and stranger.
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