Have you ever tried to explain a feeling, experience, or situation but found yourself unable to do so? You might have experienced something and wanted to express that moment by recounting the incident and capturing the feelings in words, but you just weren't able to make the other person feel the same thing. Perhaps the moment or feeling is indescribable? Do such moments even exist? Don't you think there's a word for each moment? After all, the English language alone has over a million words (1,025,109.8 as of January 1, 2014, to be precise). Language is funny that way. It fails us most when we need it.
Nevertheless, here is a list of 10 words you probably didn't know existed to describe those indescribable moments or feelings.
1. Karios (KYE-ross) (n.): the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for the action, words, or movement; also, weather.
Origin: Greek.
2. Resferber (RACE-fay-ber) (n.): the restless race of the traveler's heart before the journey begins, when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together; a "travel fever" that can manifest as an illness.
Origin: Swedish.
3. Serein (n.): the fine, light rain that falls from a clear sky at sunset or in the early hours of night; evening serenity.
Origin: French.
4. Forelsket (f-'rel-skit) (n.): the euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love.
Origin: Norwegian.
5. Jaaneman (jahn-eh-mahn) (n.) (phr.): "soul of me"; gender-neutral word for sweetheart or darling.
Origin: Persian, Hindi, Urdu.
6. Gigil or Gheegle ('gE-gul) (n.): the urge to pinch or squeeze something that is unbearably cute.
7. Heliophilia ('hE-lE-O-'fil-E-a) (n.): desire to stay in the sun; love of sunlight.
Origin: Greek.
8. Schwellenangst ('schwel-en-ahngst) (n.): fear of embarking on something new; fear of crossing a threshold.
9. Kawaakari (ka-wa-a-ka-rE) (n.): the gleam of last night on a river's surface at dusk; the glow of a river in the darkness.
Origin: Japanese.
10. Torpe (torr-peh) (n.): a man who is desperately in love with a woman, but cannot admit his feelings or approach her.
Origin: Tagalog.
Looking for more words that describe the indescribable? http://other-wordly.tumblr.com/ is the place to look.
