- Today's Word
Gemmelity
[jem-mel-i-tee]
Definition
- (noun) A delightful portmanteau of “gemmel” (twin) and “felicity” (intense happiness), this term describes the sublime joy and rapture experienced when witnessing the stunning duality or twin aspects of nature’s beauty, evoking a sense of resplendent bliss.
Example
The breathtaking vista of the twin waterfalls cascading into a crystalline pool below was a true gemmelity, the harmonious duality of the roaring torrents and the serene basin below creating a resplendent scene that filled the onlookers with a sense of profound felicity and awe.
Fun Fact
The concept of “gemmelity” celebrates the idea that certain natural phenomena or environments possess a beautiful duality or twin aspect that, when experienced together, evokes a profound sense of happiness and blissful rapture. It suggests that the harmony and resplendence found in the interplay of contrasting yet complementary natural elements can ignite the soul with a sublime sense of felicity, creating an experience of pure, gemmelity-inducing joy.
(verb) To use vague or ambiguous language in order to avoid committing to a clear position or answer.
When asked directly whether he had approved the deal, the CEO equivocated for ten minutes without ever giving a straight answer.
Equivocate derives from the Medieval Latin aequivocare, meaning “to call by the same name,” built from aequus (“equal”) and vox (“voice” or “word”). The idea behind the root is of a word that sounds the same but carries two equally valid meanings — giving the speaker plausible deniability by exploiting ambiguity. It entered English in the 16th century, almost immediately acquiring its negative connotation of deliberate evasiveness.