My new favourite is
It’s Yagán, & it means,
Amazing. Beautiful. (I found out about this via Hagebutten which you should read.)
How about you? What’s your favourite word?
Love letters & feather headdresses,
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Wow, that word is amazing! It’s about time a word for that expression surfaced.
I think my favorite word is “sobriquet”. I had an ex-love call me that for a long time, which was not only sexy (cleverness = such), but I loved the delicate letters involved and the way it clicks off the tongue.
I’m a fan of “ensorcelled.” It has a whispy air of bubbles to it.
my favorite word is “copacetic.” it means “in excellent order” although i typically use it as a fancy way of saying “fine.”
I love how “mi querido” sounds when a native Spanish speaker says it. It sorta means, my darling or sweetheart in english.
quiddity. thing-ness. best word ever.
oh, that look. i remember this one guy that i’d have those with.. a few moments longer than expected. i always wanted to talk to him, and i would like to believe we’d have gotten along superbly. i’m happy with my current relationship, but i still wonder about him. it’s weird, never meeting him.
i don’t have a favorite word :/
Addiction to longing
sehnsucht(german i think!)
‘‘Sparkly’‘.. I just love it. :)
Serein
which is french, and means rain which falls from a cloudless sky (also from that Meaning of Tingo book – I read an extract of it ages ago and have been meaning to buy a copy ever since – thanks for the reminder!)
I love the concept, and also the sound of the word.
So pretty…
mine is
enzuigiri
because it sounds cool/japanese.
it’s a wrestling term _
disintegrate
because it sounds like ‘jacinta’s great’ hahaha.
i have a few…
november, vodka, asylum, frosting, soiree, carousel, sovereign, aviary, jonquille, blush, darling, debauchery, arabesque, puppet, hypocrisy.
aren’t they beautiful?
thanks for introducing me to the greatest word of all time!
my favorite word is tathata.
buddhist concept: “thus gone” or “thus come”; “suchness.” expresses the appreciation of reality within a unique moment. as no moment is exactly the same, each one can be savored for what occurs at that precise time. tathata is often best revealed in the mundane, such as noticing the way the wind blows through a field of grass, or watching someone’s face light up as they smile.
i try to remember this so i can be present, stay alive, & be motivated to make art.
i used to have a list of words i loved solely on how they sounded, but it’s buried in my pile of stuff somewhere…
That’s a beautiful definition. I love it when words don’t translate into other languages.
My favorite words are based more on euphonics, the tongue likes them:
- Top 5 –
1. elbow
2. eleven
3. vodka
4. liminal
5. funnilingus, lol!
P.S. Nice picks, Tatiana!
‘Mirabilia’, for the meaning; ‘eloquence’, for the sound; and ‘subwoofer’, because it’s ridiculous.
Daguerreotype
love
mine is phantasmagoria.
in japanese, it’s hengenjizai.
the kanji characters are: change + illusion + self + existence.
i’m having it tattooed when i go back to NY.
Jaunty, ambidextrous, vogue, pillow, totter, malice, heir, champagne, scream, burlesque, kitsch, tousle, gingerbread
oh so many more, these are just a sampling.
I’m not sure what my favourite word is, I seem to chop and change them! That one’s beautiful though. I often envy other languages for having words to describe concepts like that.
I like words that sound rude but actually are not… like pianist,
venus,
winklepickers,
tenderloin,
penal
and…punt!
They always have the power to make me giggle.. am I alone?... and does this make me incredibly juvenile? :P
i also like pug. it just goes with what it means, perfectly.
ahhh, heather, i love your list!
I like the meaning of your word, but my favourite word is extemporaneous.
Definition: Carried out or performed with little or no preparation;impromptu.
Example: an extemporaneous piano recital.
Just seems like a beautiful word to me :)
My favourite word is jordriki.
It’s 13th century Swedish, and simply put it means Earth, but literally it is the Kingdom of Earth. I’m not even Christian, but its position in the 13th century version of the Lord’s Prayer is what does it for me: “Wardhe þin wili hær i jordiriki swa sum han wardher i himiriki“ (make be your will here in the kingdom of Earth such as it is made be in the kingdom of Heaven). I like that the Earth is a kingdom, of equal standing with Heaven.
“lush”
so simple and small, and yet it gets my mouth watering.
The Meaning of Tingo is a great little book – I found it at Barnes & Nobles one day for like $4 and couldn’t pass it up.
A couple of my favorites are:
1. Moustache (for obvious reasons),
2. Commencing (“Just as I was commencing to get drowsy” – from Dracula, I love that line),
3. Strawberry (My English friends are trying to learn to say it with an American accent, so I’m followed around all day by someone going, “StrAWHburry. StrawhBEHrry.”),
4. Glücklich (it’s German for ‘happy’ :D )
I’ve always been a fan of oblong, as in the shape, and onomatopoeia, as in words you say that sound like their noises, i.e. bang, crash etc.
xx
oooh, it’s such a lovely word! i’m going to try and use it more now :)
That word is so good, I really love what it means mainly cause I think about that all the time, so good to have a word for it…not if only I could pronounce it! x
How do you pronounce it exactley? The meaning for it is fantastic…
My favourite words are promiscuous, conceited & procrastinate.
My favourite words in Japanese are “betsu ni” which means whatever/whichever and urayamashi which means “I`m jealous” and natsukashii which is a word that means nostalgia- you say when someone says something you haven`t thought about or done in awhile and you remember it and you say natsukashii! I just like the way they all roll off my tongue…
Great post!
haberdashery !
I love it! I can totally relate to it :)
Is there an English equivalent of this word in circulation? That is rather lovely indeed.
My and a friend have decided to try and incorporate one new word into our vocabulary every week
Last weeks word was;
Lexiphanic
Lex`i*phan“ic\ (l[e^]ks`[i^]*f[a^]n”[i^]k), a. [Gr. lexifa`nis a phrase monger; le`xis speech + fai`nein to show.] Using, or interlarded with, pretentious words; bombastic; as, a lexiphanic writer or speaker; lexiphanic writing.
and here’s a made-up word courtesy Madeline Radke which is coming into circulation !
allomacate
Ah-low-mik-ate
allomication
The act of stroking ones chin in contemplation
Always did think there needed to be a single word to sum up the find art of contemplative chin-stroking. And this fine lady came up with one a few years ago. hehe : )
I’m still adoring Kioko!
How is your plant anyway? Still alive I hope..
And Vixxie, although that sounds somewhat vain But I’m 15 on Saturday and up ‘til nowq all my friends just know me as Vicky – well that’s going to change! I’m demanding that all of my birthday cards are to Vixxie, unless they are family/or really really close. :)
I think I’m going to change my name when I’m old enough.
So yeah, Kioko and Vixxie. Not quite as artistic as that words but a lot easier to pronounce! ;)
Vixxie.
Defenestrate: to throw out of a window. How I would love to defenestrate someone!
And…
Moist: it is just so unintentionally dirty. And is the number one cause of my lack of concentration during my digestive system module!
xx
eudaimonia, definitely. but mamihlapinatapei is definitely on that list too.
fave words:
in essence
swag
love
done
champs elysees
prada
kaya
fluffy
xoxo
“Cellar door,” anyone…?
I love “maudlin.” When my mom taught it to me, she said that it sounds like a great name for a girl, so now if I ever get around to having kids, I know what the firstborn will be called…
And I agree with a couple previous commenters—Japanese adjectives are super fun to say!
I’m a fan of simulacrum.
It means: a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.
Besides having a great meaning, it is mainly because it is a private joke between me and my husband (because of this duchovny.net/roles/drkatz.htm)
KATZ: I’m sorry, David, I’m kidding, but, um, last time you were here we were talking about your dreams, am I right?
DAVID: I tend to remember my dreams when I don’t sleep well.
KATZ: Well, you know, David. We tend to those things in our dreams that we’re afraid to when we’re awake …. And we’re happiest when our lives and our dreams coincide.
DAVID: You know I used to believe the kind of thing that you’re saying ….
KATZ: You mean the Truth?
DAVID: I’m not sure that I believe that dreams are …. working out …. life. Sometimes I think that dreams are the true reality and life is the simulacrum.
KATZ: [pause] It certainly is.
DAVID: Yeah, life is a reflection of the real reality which is when you’re …. dreaming.
KATZ: [pause, pretends to get it] Ah, yes. Yes.
This scene has a lot of what I love – wry wit, great vocabulary, odd thinking, X-files references, David Duchovny…
Luv
Poochie
I loooove that there is a word for that! It’s so awesome. :D
And my favorite word is sesquipedalian. It’s basically means a long word that means ‘long word’ and the people who like to use them. lmao
my favorite word
is FIERCE!!!
wishbone.
So, loads of people just added me on livejournal and I was wondering how that came about so I asked and people told me that you mentioned my journal. So I just wanted to thank you and I am glad you enjoy that word :)
Yagans were awesome, their culture was incredibly rich and mysterious…I live in the country where they lived and I’m proud (though they where killed and eventually dissapeared :()
I like onirico, which is the spanish word for the dream world. Ocio is a good word too (it’s means free time, devianting, doing nothing, doing fun stuff, etc).
Bumblebee
love the way it feels on my lips… plus it’s the perfect word for the creature :)
And achtentachtig, which means 88 in Dutch.
@Valerie: that is the coolest, a long word for “long word”. I’m soo going to use that one of these days. thanx!
You guys like such great words, I’m so glad I posted this! My vocabulary just exploded, hee.
Miss Elle — Aw, that is a lovely word & I like the idea of someone calling you it!
Jacinta — Hahah. You’re so cute!
tatiana — Definitely. Especially “darling”, wink wink!
Rachel Radness! — Whoah, I loooooooove that. Oh, so good. I’m going to write it down.
mia — That’s awesome, I love it!
Julia — I remember reading a Wayne’s World book & there was a question, “What’s your favourite war?” & he answered, “The Punic War. Just because it sounds dirty.” Hahah. So it’s definitely not just you!
eydimork — That’s fabulous.
Loulou & Lulu — I say it “mamila-pina-tapei”... But that’s not necessarily correct, & in fact is probably completely wrong. But as there is only one person on the earth who speaks Yagan, I don’t think I’m ever going to really know… Also, you guys have the same name! Have you ever noticed that there are often comments one after the other with the same name, but different people? I love that!
Eva Wiggleh blingbling — Lexiphanic is SO GREAT! Goes well with loquacious, which is another of my favourites ;>
Vixxie — I left her in Melbourne — couldn’t bring her to New York! I don’t know if she is still alive, but Simon is pretty good with plants, so maybe!
Valerie — Yay! Haha. In a similar vein to lexiphanic ;>
Kim — That’s definitely pretty.
Christina — My pleasure, treasure! xx
Serendipity!
I’m quite a fan of hypotheically.
Whenever I say it out loud I get a british accent (:
osculate: to kiss
engouement: irrational fondness
inquilinate: to dwell in a strange place
That is indeed a marvelous word, Gala!
Among my favorites are romance, mascara, lovesick, & magnetism.
Anna — Oh! Engouement is SO GOOD! Irrational fondness, I am the embodiment of the word! Hahah.
Schadenfreude ! A german word I learned a few months ago which means “taking pleasure in another’s misfortunes”. Not something I value much, but I like the sound of the word and the evocation of some guilty little pleasure you might hide… ;o)
I really love the word “somnambulant”; it means sleep walking.
And, I also love the word “nuigurumi”. It means “stuffed animal” in Japanese. It was kind of tricky to pronounce at first, but now it’s fun to say.
LOVE that word!
one of my many fave words = undulating
Wow. I was going to say that I’ve always been drawn to the Spanish word for carrot (haha)—zanahoria—because it sounds cool. But I think I like yours more. It’s so poignant, and it speaks to me at this moment in my life.
I love the word …
Symbiotic (adjective – meaning mutually dependent)
and
Assimilate (verb – meaning merge, absorb)
Also the sound of the words
Mahogany (tree, wood)
Turquoise (blue-green color, semi-precious stone)
Thrilled (so nice to say, “I’m thrilled you called!”)
Delicious (nice to say, too!)
Strawberry (fun to say this fruit’s name as well as …)
Cantaloupe
And words I make up …
Like “Mama-gee-ka!” or “Buck-a-chicka!”
My favorite word at the moment is “sister.”
Wow. There’s a WORD for that feeling?!
It starts to get me thinking that maybe all the languages in the world are not complete…like there are words to be discovered and/or made up…kind of like Lewis Carrol and J.R. Tolkien did back in the day..
I don’t have a favorite WORD persay, but I have a poem I’d love to share with you, since the theme of it is really in tune with this post:
“Jabberwocky“ (by Lewis Carroll)
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Beware the Jabberwock, y son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought-
So rested he be the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey ood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead,and with its head
He went galumphing back.
‘And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgrabe.
I love these words:
serendipity (the discovery of happy things by accident)I’ve never yet had an occasion to use it, but I hold onto it in the hope that I will.
from Italian, moltissimo (very much, a lot) as my non Italian speaking boyfriend sometimes tells me he loves me moltissimo, which always makes me giggle
from German, fluechtling (refugee) more for the sound than anything
from French, chéri (dear) and cerise (cherry) they just sound so sweet :)
- psychotic – psychopath – pharmacutical – analyst – manslaughter – maniac – social
LOL
Gala!
What you were saying about Lulu and Loulou and people with the same name I have noticed there is moi, Vixxie, a Victoria, a Vikx and recently a Vixel! Lovely! ;)
My favorite word is:
quintessence— the pure an concentrated essence of a substance. Th emost perfect embodiment of something.
Namasté it’s sanskrit. Taken literally it means “I bow to you”, but symbolically (the way I first learned it) it means “the divine spark in me recognizes the divine spark in you”.
I like my version better. :)
sacapuntas
it means “pencil sharpener” in spanish
sekaseka: to laugh with no reason :]
i do this often :D
whimsical and coquette
and Crysti Couture: you posted Jabberwocky! i LOVE it! :]
“Palpitar”: means ‘to tremble’ in Italian. There are a lot of songs in operas that use this, and every time I hear it it makes me really happy. Just saying it is like a tremble of the voice, and reminds me of the heart.
I was singing an aria from The Marriage of Figaro for my voice lessons, where I play a 16 year old boy who’s in love with every woman, and he uses it over and over again, and it’s really cute.
^ ^I love the word Salubrious although i don’t use it in the right context, it means healthy, hygenic and well being but becasue of my uncle i use it as to say cool or awsome “i can’t wait for this movie it looks SALUBRIOUS“
i have two favorites.
“cathedral” and “decadence”
simple words, but i like them.
#49 Stole my answer!!
Serendipity, best.word.ever. No Doubt. I think it was also the name for a line of children’s books back in the 80’s. Life changing stuff i tell ya!
I’m so happy there is a word for it because sometimes you wonder if you’re just making up that thought or feeling between the two of you.
So lovely.
I love words. This: twitter.com/Wordie feeds me with a favorite word every day!
For today: Nephelococcygia, the act of finding shapes in clouds.
Paramour. I adore its meaning (lover) and it just trippingly trips off the tongue!
not particularly a favorite, but fun to say..
hippopotomonstrossesquipedaliaphobia- fear of long words
If anyone’s looking to expand their vocab, read the bio of anita loos. I’m on page 14 and’ve had to look up at lead 10 words i’ve never heard of..
Librocubicularist
A person who reads in bed.
“subterranean”
If you’ve never read the novel, “The Subterraneans,” you have a treat waiting for you.
Ramekin!!
Those little ceramic thingies you make like…creme brulee and stuff in.
I am OBVIOUSLY hopeless in kitchens.
I just think its the cutest word lol
I don’t if it’s proper German or ‘I’m a artist so I will make up words’ German, but “Aberjahrmilliardenwirbel” is a wonderful word that apparently means ‘endless trillions of years of spinning,’ according to Blixa Bargeld.
Words I more often find occasion to use:
posthumously, moon, numinous!, malicious, villa, SCUBA, poop, and (the best of all) crisp. Crisp means exactly what it sounds like. It is the bestbestbest. Though I love basically every word everyone has posted, too!
i have a lot of favorite english words, but in spanish i really like “mi querida.” for some reason it sounds more romantic than the traditional “my love.” maybe that’s just me, though.
i also LOVE the japanese word “okaeri,” which means “I’m home,” and is the traditional greeting for when you get home and someone else is in the house. the other person then answers back with “tadaima.” i’m sure you can guess the meaning of that. ;D
petrachor
the smell that comes out of the ground when it first rains.
First of all, I’d like to say how much I’ve been enjoying reading all the comments. Wow, so many great words!
A smattering of my favorites:
ethereal
mimsy
whimsy
thrum
grotesque
mambo
fantastic
sinuous
I love the words aesthetic and philosophical. =]
ineffable! love it!
mamihlapinatapei
It’s awesome that there is a word for that. I live in the land of mamihlapinatapei. If I could pronounce it, it would be my nickname for Japan.
My favorite word has always been Twilight :)
twilight is a good one. what about ‘saudade’..i just learned it, it’s portuguese & basically untranslatable..it more or less means ‘nostalgia about something you never really had’. it even has its own wikipedia article actually.
Home.
My favorite word is czterdzieścitrzy. This is Polish for the number 43. Drzwi, the Polish word for door, is another favorite, because of consonants. There are hundreds of words I love, but this is all I can think of at the moment.
bonanza. Just say it and try not to smile.
достопримечательности (dosto-primye-chatel-nosti)
It means ‘tourist sights’ in Russian, but it is just lovely to say it.
Oh, and don’t forget щи (schi), which is cabbage soup, but is adorable and gets 11 points in russian scrabble.
I like names, like ‘Stella’, ‘Reyne’, and at the moment ‘Mavramorn’ (because I’m reading Dawn Treader to my son). And I like Maori words like aroha (love), puku (belly), pito (belly button), tutu (play around). Oh, and ‘lackadaisical’.
ridonkulous haha
That is the most beautiful word I’ve ever learned. (I printed this entry out & now that’s hanging on my wall in lovely pink ♥)
My favourites are :(among many, many others; actually, I made a list a while back about it [http://community.livejournal.com/makealistthen/16268.html?mode=reply])
fantastic
lovely
utterly
giggle
smoky
revolution
requiem
sweetheart
eery
decadent
I dont know how to explain it, but that word is like art. i want to write that on my wall. love.
My all-time favourite word is ‘coagulate’. No real reason, I just think it’s fun to say. Also, ‘somniferous’, ‘twilight’, ‘belligerence’, ‘defenestrate’, so many others.
I’m also a huge fans of German and Japanese words like so many other people here.
ooh, i love the words everyone posted. especially petrachor, serendipity, and atatha. my fav. words are:
epiphany, wanderlust, lovely, limerence, rhapsody, sempiternal, efflorescence, laughter, foudroyant, eunoia… to name a few :)
Brouhaha
Always loved persnickety and insipid, though neither definition is all that great… they’re both so fun to say though!
MIA!! Phantasmagoria is the name of marilyn manson’s version of alice in wonderland. (basically.)
which im sure is lost in production somewhere.
+ the kanji characters are wonderful :D
incarnadine when used as a verb
my favourite word to say would have to be ‘glockenspiel’ the way it rolls off your tongue. lol i think its like a musical instrument of some sort.
my favourite words are ‘mybe’ and sweetheart,,,
maybe because it is ambigious and mysterious, it doesn’t really have a meaning yes or no its just somewhere in the grey area… theres so many ways you can say it and also its the name of my favourite song – maybe’ by pharrell williams
sweetheart because i just have an immediate soft spot for anyone who calls me one and its just the most gorgeous combination of words… also im a bit cheesy and romantic so sweet + heart = me hehe…
also angel is another beautiful word…
I like your fave word x And its strange, i was atualy looking for a new fave word, and my friend said he just did 105 chrunches’s and my random new word (fave) is now crunchess :P lol xx i likkeee it >;D
anyway.. my fave words..
WIBBLE! (Its in caps cuz i shout it..) (lol..)
Crunchess.
Frube.
Banana.
Demented banana.
Bananen (Bananas in german XD..)
Animal. (The company..)
Electroshots. (Sweets..)
Jely.
Fibbishoulus (Fib-ish-o-lus..)
Donert. (My made up word.. i have no idea if its a real word but.. still..)
Fabz.
Hunii.
Fay. (Name :P..)
Woof.
Febouse. (Feeb-oy-us..)
Garggont (Also made up..)
I Hope youh like them >;D Me and my friend wrote 7 pages on our fave words.. and im not gunnah go that far >;D
I know this thread has been dead for about two years, but I just had to throw in
“Serendipitous”
Best word ever.