Add some whimsy to your life
Word Nerd is an on-going feature that shares and highlights unique, whimsical and sometimes forgotten or overlooked words. It’s dedicated to the logophile in us all.
Brontide is a low muffled, rumbling sound like distant thunder heard in certain regions of the world. Brontide was most likely formed from the Greek noun brontḗ (thunder) and the suffix -ide, which is a variant of -id (offspring of). Brontide is heard in in certain seismic regions especially along seacoasts and over lakes and… Continue reading Word Nerd: Brontide
Weald is a forested woodland or an area of open rolling upland. Weald in Old English specifically described the forest between the North and South Downs in Sussex, Kent, and Surrey. Weald is a West Saxon variant of Anglian wald/wold (an upland plain or stretch of rolling land). Weald is usually used capitalized when referring… Continue reading Word Nerd: Weald
Nepenthe (pronounced ni-pen-thee) is anything, particularly a drug or drink, that induces a pleasurable forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble. Nepenthe is Greek in origin and it is the opposite of pathos. Nepenthe has long been popular with poets with the likes of Homer and Edgar Allen Poe utilizing nepenthe (or it's close kin) as a… Continue reading Word Nerd: Nepenthe
Riant means mirthful, smiling, cheerful. Riant can also be defined as having a pleasant aspect, agreeable to the sight, looking bright or cheerful, etc. Riant derives from the Middle French term rire (to laugh) which derives from the Latin rīdēre (to laugh). Riant is such a bright way to describe a person's buoyant, jocund, effervescent… Continue reading Word Nerd: Riant
Natsubate is a Japanese word that can be translated as "summer fatigue". Natsubate is the combination of the words natsu (summer) and bate, which is an abbreviation of bateru (to be very tired). Natsubate describes the fatigue (mental, emotional, and physical) that is brought on by the heat and humidity of summer weather. Natsubate has… Continue reading Word Nerd: Natsubate
Alpenglow is the rosy light of the setting or rising sun seen on high mountains. Alpenglow derives from a partial translation of the German Alpenglühen, which combines Alpen (Alps) and glühen (to glow). Alpenglow is also described as an optical phenomenon that appears as a horizontal reddish glow near the horizon opposite of the Sun… Continue reading Word Nerd: Alpenglow
