- Today's Word
Solstalgia
[sol-stal-jee-uh]
Definition
- (noun) This evocative term combines “solstice,” representing the point in the year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point, with “nostalgia,” signifying a sentimental longing for the past. It’s used to describe the wistful feeling associated with the changing seasons, especially during solstices.
Example
Imagine standing in the crisp air of a winter solstice, surrounded by the beauty of nature transitioning to a new phase. It’s not just a seasonal shift; it’s a Solstalgia. You might say, “Every winter solstice brings a sense of Solstalgia. The changing landscapes and the memories associated with this time of year create a beautifully nostalgic atmosphere.”
Fun Fact
“Solstice” refers to the point in the year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point, marking a change in seasons, while “nostalgia” signifies a sentimental longing for the past. “Solstalgia” creatively combines these concepts to celebrate the wistful feelings associated with the changing seasons.
(noun/verb) A gentle, continuous murmuring sound made by water or a person speaking rapidly and excitedly.
The hikers followed the burble of the stream through the dense forest long before they could see it, the sound guiding them toward water and rest.
Burble is an example of onomatopoeia — a word whose sound imitates the thing it describes. It emerged in Middle English as an imitative word for the sound of bubbling or gurgling water, related to the Old French borboiller, meaning “to bubble.” Lewis Carroll famously used it in Jabberwocky — “the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, came whiffling through the tulgey wood, and burbled as it came” — cementing its place in the English literary imagination as a word that sounds exactly like what it means.