- Today's Word
Joyvency
[joi-vn-see]
Definition
- (noun) A portmanteau of “joy” and “juvenescence” (the state of being youthful or regaining youthful qualities), this term refers to a state of pure, childlike joy and exuberance that rejuvenates the spirit and awakens a sense of youthful vitality.
Example
As she danced barefoot in the rain, splashing in puddles and twirling with abandon, Sarah felt a surge of joyvency wash over her, transporting her back to the carefree bliss of childhood and filling her with an infectious sense of youthful glee.
Fun Fact
The concept of “joyvency” celebrates the idea that experiencing moments of pure, uninhibited joy can have a rejuvenating effect on the soul, awakening a sense of youthful exuberance and vitality that transcends age. It suggests that tapping into the well of childlike wonder and delight can be a potent elixir, revitalizing the spirit and reminding us of the simple joys that once filled our younger selves with boundless enthusiasm and zest for life.
(adjective) Lacking substance, interest, or mature thought; naive and simplistic in a way that reveals inexperience.
The critic dismissed the debut novel as jejune — competently written, technically adequate, and utterly devoid of anything worth remembering.
Jejune derives from the Latin jejunus, meaning “fasting” or “empty” — literally describing a stomach that has not been fed. The same root gives us jejunum, the section of the small intestine named for its tendency to be found empty after death. It entered English in the 17th century carrying its literal sense of emptiness before acquiring its figurative meaning of something intellectually or creatively hollow — content that has the form of nourishment without any of the substance.