Like language, our emotions are universal and whatever fears and anxieties we are now experiencing, someone else in centuries gone by has felt the same way. Here is an A-Z of archaic and forgotten words that at some point in the past exactly described an elusive sense of peace, calm and delight. So, if you want to know your agathism from your euneirophrenia, read on and draw comfort from these linguistic oddities
Agathism Its hard to be an optimist knowing that there are tough times ahead. But in lieu of optimism, theres always agathism a word coined in 1830 for the belief that all things eventually get better, though the means by which they do is not always easy. It is a word to remind us that though we may be in for hard times, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Bummel Our daily constitutional neednt be an exhausting run around the block. Derived from a German word for strolling, a bummel is nothing more than a relaxing leisurely walk or wander.
Concubium Adopted into English from Latin in the 1600s, the concubium is the soundest, calmest, deepest part of your sleep. That time of night when all men are at rest, as one 17th-century dictionary put it.
Dolorifuge Whatever it is that makes you happy, that is your dolorifuge: this 19th-century term describes anything or anyone that alleviates feelings of pain or sadness.
Euneirophrenia One of the strangest side-effects of our curtailed routines at the moment is that our brains are working overtime while we sleep, so the word euneirophrenia might come in useful. It describes the wholly pleasing feeling you have on waking from an equally pleasant dream.
Focillation Derived from the Latin for nourish, a focillation is a momentary act of comfort or refreshment. Take it as a reminder that it is perfectly fine to take some time out, whenever you need it.
Glee-dream If you find solace in films or music, or find that youre dearly missing the theatre or cinema, the word you are looking for is glee-dream. The modern form of the Old English gleodream, the Oxford English Dictionary defines this as delight of minstrelsy that is, the pleasure that comes from a musical performance or similar entertainment.
Heterocentric How we all should and, thankfully, how a great many of us currently are living our lives: if youre heterocentric then youre more concerned with other people than you are yourself.
Interfulgent A fitting metaphor for the triumph of light in dark times. Derived from the Latin word for shining, something that is interfulgent shines through or between that which would otherwise obscure it as sunshine through clouds or the leaves of trees.
Jamb-friend A jamb is a supporting timber, of course, which makes a jamb-friend an early 19th-century word for a friend with whom you could quite happily sit by a fireside talking and relaxing well into the early hours.
Kaffeeklatsch Borrowed from German in the 1800s, a kaffeeklatsch is a chattering catch-up with friends and family over endless cups of coffee. Its a lot more poetic than the Victorian alternative: according to one contemporary dictionary, scandal-loving women who like to meet over a cup of tea were once known as muffin-wallopers.
Back in the 1600s, laetificate meant to lift someones spirits
Laetificate Its a word not much used since the 1600s, but its one you might need today or might be called on to offer to someone else. Quite simply, to laetificate is to lift someones spirits.
Meliorism George Eliot coined the word meliorism to define her outlook on life, once writing to the psychologist James Sully to explain that: I dont know that I ever heard anybody use the word meliorist except myself. Operating halfway between optimism and realism, meliorism is the belief that the world no matter what shape it may be in can always be improved by the concerted effort of mankind.
Nikhedonia Nike was the Greek goddess of victory. Hedone (as in hedonism) was a Greek word for pleasure. Put those two together and you have nikhedonia a term from psychology for the inspiring, adrenalin-raising excitement of anticipating a future success.
Omnibenevolence Just as an omnipotent person has power over everything, an omnibenevolent person exhibits kindness to everything and everyone. That endless, all-encompassing compassion is omnibenevolence.
Peeled-egg Were all guilty of worrying that the worst could suddenly befall us, but rarely imagine that something just as unexpectedly wonderful could take place. JRR Tolkien coined the word eucatastrophe to describe an unforeseen event of sheer good fortune, but the Scots beat him to it. First recorded in Scottish proverbs dating from the 1800s, a peeled-egg is: A stroke of good fortune which one has not had to strive for. It was once a popular name given to farms established on land with unanticipated natural advantages.
Queem Something described as queem is perfectly calm or serene or by extension, perfectly smooth and level. Queemness, likewise, can be used to describe perfect serenity, or perfect smoothness and levelness, while two things that work queemly with one another are either perfectly harmonious, or, like two parts of a joint, snug and well adapted to one another.
Adopted from French, retrouvailles literally means 'refinding'
Retrouvailles Adopted from French, retrouvailles literally means refinding but its more usually understood as the French equivalent of what we might call a reunion or homecoming. Recently the word came to be used more imaginatively to describe the utter happiness or joy sparked by reuniting or catching up with someone you havent seen in a long time. A word well worth recalling in the months ahead.
Supernaculum It might be a fine glass of wine or whisky or nothing more than a perfectly brewed and timed cup of tea. A supernaculum is a drink so appreciated that it is savoured to its very last drop.
Traumatropism A tree partly felled by gales or lightning can often continue growing albeit in some ever more unwieldy or implausible shape. That undeterred response to earlier damage is an example of a phenomenon called traumatropism. Taken literally, it reminds us that nature is stronger and more resilient than we could ever imagine; metaphorically, it tells us that harsh setbacks need not end our progress.
Unsoulclogged Its not the most handsome of words, but were all striving to be unsoulclogged. It is total contentment, peace of mind, and freedom from sadness and dejection or, as one 1881 dictionary defined it, the state of not being weighed down in spirit.
Villeggiatura When youre tired of the city or your usual routine, its time for a villeggiatura. Adopted into English from Italian in the 18th century, a villeggiatura is a restorative trip or holiday to the countryside, taken to lift the spirits and unwind the mind.
Worldcraft Ageing is hardly the most welcome of lifes certainties. But for every word to remind us of its drawbacks (to be eildencumbered is to be held back by age), there is one for its seldom considered positives. Worldcraft is an 18th-century word for the unmatched cumulative wisdom of an aged person whose long life has given them unique and much venerated insight far beyond anything a younger, less experienced person could ever imagine.
Xenodochy Hospitality offered to strangers. The prefix xeno comes from the Greek word for strange or foreign, but we only tend to encounter it today in xenophobia. Now seems an apt time to highlight one of its overlooked opposites.
Yahrsider We are all looking out for our yahrsiders at the moment. A dialect term from the 18th century, a yahrsider is someone from the same family or town as you, or who shares the same community spirit.
Zenobia A courageous and effective third-century queen of Palmyra, Zenobia expanded her kingdom into the almighty Palmyrene Empire, stretching from Ankara to Aswan. Her name has been adopted as a term for a powerful, unstoppably determined woman.
The Cabinet of Calm: Soothing Words for Troubled Times by Paul Anthony Jones (Elliott & Thompson, 12.99) is out now
Continued here:
An A to Z of old words to calm and inspire hope - The Guardian
- Home - Wild Women Vacations - December 23rd, 2016 [December 23rd, 2016]
- Hedonism - New World Encyclopedia - December 26th, 2016 [December 26th, 2016]
- Hedonism II (Negril, Jamaica) - UPDATED 2016 Resort (All ... - January 3rd, 2017 [January 3rd, 2017]
- Hedonism II Resort Negril, Jamaica - January 8th, 2017 [January 8th, 2017]
- Hedonism II Community | Home - January 30th, 2017 [January 30th, 2017]
- Hedonism and healing - Independent Online - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Dark side of hedonism: a rock journalist's battle with drug addiction - The Guardian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Rainbow Serpent turns 20: a weekend of boundless hedonism - Mixmag - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- 'Dream Boat': Love Comes In All Shapes And Sizes In This Candid Berlinale Documentary Set On A Gay Cruise Ship - moviepilot.com - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Black Wave review: From hedonism to the apocalypse - Irish Times - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Feminism, ambition, hedonism: drama explores lives of university's privileged - The Guardian - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Leftism: From Bloody Tragedy to Therapeutic Parody - FrontPage Magazine - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Science: How to Get into the "Flow" and Do What Makes You Happiest - Big Think - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Weekend Arts: Find the Beethoven Music Festival, 'Avenue Q' and more in Tulsa this week - Tulsa World (blog) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Now We Are 40 by Tiffanie Darke review a generation lost to hedonism and irony? - The Guardian - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Chefs to Watch for 2017 - Hedonism II, Negril - Jamaica Observer - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Hicks column: Schools should stick to the facts, as should everyone else - Charleston Post Courier - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Berlin Syndrome - The Upcoming - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Tears in the Club - PopMatters - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Chefs to Watch for 2017 - Hedonism II, Negril - Food ... - Jamaica Observer - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Hedonism II | CheapCaribbean.com - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Book review: 'The True Story of Guns N' Roses' will rock your world - Times LIVE - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Pleasures: the desert of life - Tulsa World - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Living Like a Hedonist - Daily Trojan Online - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- How dirty do you like it? Revel in hedonism with You Pull It, the new EP from The Byzantines - Happy - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- When did Britain stop being a nation of hedonists? - The Guardian - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- What is Hedonism wines? Mayfair vendor owned by Russian exile counts Jose Mourinho among its clientele and ... - The Sun - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Pastor's column: Hedonism: Self-driven life of pleasure - Gridley Herald - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Look around the wine store where Ranieri's future was decided Mourinho loves this place! - Daily Star - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- The Gooch Palms are a handful of hedonism - Mandurah Mail - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Jose Cuervo's Apocalyptic Vision Encourages Hedonism 03/08/2017 - MediaPost Communications - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Europe conquers itself - Arutz Sheva - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Hedonism alone didn't kill George - Irish Independent - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Hedonism II All-inclusive Resort Reviews & Deals, Negril - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Phoenix: 'The purity of French identity is an illusion; it's never existed ... - The Guardian - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- First-rate musical performance & production that's hard to fault: Garsington's Semele reviewed - Spectator.co.uk - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Guest Post: Bhante Suddhso Guidelines for Happiness - Patheos (blog) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- 'I trafficked women at a famous Hong Kong nightclub' - South China Morning Post - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Sydney Festival Film Review: Axoltl Overkill (Germany, 2017) burns up Berlin with heavily stylised hedonism - the AU review (blog) - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Fun Fair Shot Bar By Claudia Comte Brings Seor Frogs-Style ... - ARTnews - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- On 'Ti Amo', Phoenix Combat Dark Times with Fun and Gelato - Vulture - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Honey-glazed, hedonistic, and hyper-real - Cherwell Online - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Review: True to the original, 'Cabaret' revival trades in hedonism, horror - Seattle Times - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Spanish Party Town Publishes 64 Rules to Stop Hedonism of Drunk Tourists - Heat Street - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- WIL DARCANGELO: Hedonism has its advantages - Sentinel & Enterprise - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Comme des Garons' spring collection designed for a warehouse rave - The Guardian - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Considering a weekend in Ibiza? Our guide to the White Isle tells you where to eat, sleep, rave, repeat - Mirror.co.uk - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- Norfolk makers of Wild Knight vodka score first London stockist - Norfolk Eastern Daily Press - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Hedonism II - Negril, Jamaica The Swinger Cruise - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Comic Legends: How Did 9/11 Change Strangers in Paradise's Ending? - CBR (blog) - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- The kids are all white: can US festivals live up to their 'post-racial' promise? - The Guardian - July 4th, 2017 [July 4th, 2017]
- Cakes Da Killa on Clubbing, Labels and His Shanghai Debut ... - That's Online (registration) - July 4th, 2017 [July 4th, 2017]
- Claude Speeed is the trance-inspired ambient nomad documenting Berlin's rave sadness - FACT - July 5th, 2017 [July 5th, 2017]
- Reporter strips naked to quiz nude swingers on their love of wife-swapping in bizarre telly segment - The Sun - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- Steve Vizard's Vigil at Arts Centre Melbourne reveals trauma ... - The Age - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- Party Report: Hideout Festival 2017 - Deep House Amsterdam (press release) (blog) - July 11th, 2017 [July 11th, 2017]
- Wimbledon 2017: The tech behind the world's top tennis tournament - Ars Technica UK - July 12th, 2017 [July 12th, 2017]
- Exploring the world's first dog glamping site at NOS Alive music festival - Metro - July 12th, 2017 [July 12th, 2017]
- Hyundai has come a long way with its outstanding Ioniq Hybrid - Philly.com - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Why campus boys make the best husband materials - The Standard - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- I demand a critical reappraisal of Kesha's brilliant, brilliant music - Salon - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Norfolk vodka brand joins London's jet set - Business Weekly - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Clean raving: how club culture went wild for wellness - The Guardian - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- News Bites | Loewe Releases Ibiza-Inspired Record, Erdem x H&M - The Business of Fashion - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Crisis in leadership as bright minds avoid public service - The New Indian Express - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Woman seriously injured after falling off stage at Guns N' Roses show - The Times of Israel - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- What's the Best Song, According to Science? - Gizmodo - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- We Asked the Happiest People at Lovebox About Their Worries - Noisey - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Dance Like Nobody's Watching To Shock Machine's Unlimited Love Video - The FADER - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Gig review: Catfish and The Bottlemen at Don Valley Bowl, Sheffield - Yorkshire Evening Post - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Montreal's Ancient Future Festival Reveals 2017 Lineup with Hudson Mohawke, the Underachievers, Sam Paganini - Exclaim! - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Coexistence at the beach - Opelika Observer - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Ibiza: Where To Eat, Party And Beach - HuffPost UK - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Film Streams, Joslyn team for screening of 'Marie Antoinette' - Omaha World-Herald - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Hedonism II Hotel - Jamaica | Oyster.com Review & Photos - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Fiction review: Living the Dream - The Sydney Morning Herald - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Arcade Fire - 'Everything Now' Album Review - NME - NME.com - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Dream Hoarders - HuffPost - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- PS Spotlight: Remembering celebrity fancy dress for the grand Cointreau Ball - The Sydney Morning Herald - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Last Night Guns N' Roses Played An Epic Set At The Apollo, Today Appetite For Destruction Turns 30 - Stereogum - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]