English words that come close-
1. Gorge, binge
2. Glossitis
3. Photoclastic
4. Insouciance
5. Overmorrow
6. Fixings
7. Bucolic, halcyon
8. Lethonomia
9. Moiety
10. Longing, yearning
11. Empathy
12. Caressing
13. Forbearance
14. Mom This was just a mental exercise for me, only a few come close. Also, for those of you who don't know, the English word epicaricacy means "derivation of pleasure from the misfortunes of others."
Thanks, I knew there was an English equivalent of the day after tomorrow and just had to stay up and compile a list. There are over a million English words, I knew we surely had some that come close.
10. Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego)
This word captures that special look shared between two people, when both are wishing that the other would do something that they both want, but neither want to do.
This is incredible, and I know the feeling. It's such an interesting concept that we've tried to encapsulate an entire emotion into one word and it's nice to know that some cultures have succeeded in doing so.
I loved the article about the invented language for just that: http://hubski.com/pub?id=48812
I'll save this comment (not what I can) and will check out the article later on.
I would think that other languages must have an equilavent. It's such a common idea. My wife was astonished that the common phrase 'stomach ache' can encompass actual stomach pain, GI discomfort, or even nausea.5. Zeg (Georgian)
It means "the day after tomorrow." Seriously, why don't we have a word for that in English?
I remember when I was in Cameroon they had a word that was appropriate to use when someone close to you lost a loved one. I forget it now, but I think it would be such a useful word to have an equivalent for in English. I always feel awkward saying "sorry" or "sorry for your loss." I'm not actually 'sorry.' I'm sad that they lost someone important to them and I hope they will be ok - and I wish there was a better English word for that.
In Dutch people call the day after tomorrow "overmorgen". Germans say "übermorgen" and the french will tell you that the day after tomorrow is "après-demain". The Dutch and German words literally mean "over tomorrow". The French word means "after tomorrow". There are many languages with words similar to "Zeg", English is just not one of them. I didn't know that a stomach ache could mean all those things. I thought it was the same as stomach pain...
This reminds me of this article about constructed languages. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/12/24/121224fa_fact_......an idealized language whose aim is the highest possible degree of logic, efficiency, detail, and accuracy in cognitive expression via spoken human language, while minimizing the ambiguity, vagueness, illogic, redundancy, polysemy (multiple meanings) and overall arbitrariness that is seemingly ubiquitous in natural human language.”
Here's one: Kotodama - a Japanese word meaning "the soul living within the word." It includes the idea that there is a truth in stories regardless of whether they are fiction or nonfiction. The distinction is between the authentic and the inauthentic. Thus, "they ask of a story whether it helps. Does a story give hope? Does a story edify? Does a story make it possible for people facing the worst things in their lives to conquer those things and go on, by themselves and as a society?" -- I love this word kotodama and the idea it encapsulates. It was introduced to me by author Barry Lopez in his acceptance speech for the 1986 National Book Award for nonfiction.
No one else has mentioned The Meaning of Liff yet, so I guess I will. Fun share, theadvancedapes.
Few Finnish: Sisukas = someone who has guts. Hän = he/she. Yes, way to speak about someone without referring to sex. And really nerdy one "jäyhyys" second moment of inertia when referring to the rigidity of a structure. Sorry, sometimes I'm too engineer. It also somehow refers to stubborn, which I find quite suitable. More rigid, more stubborn.
I have a Swedish friend, and I'm now going to keep telling her how "lagom" I am. Thank you for this haha