Vellichor

Just the sound of this word makes me smile, because to me, it is the happiest word on the planet.

Vellichor (pronounced Vell-ee-kor) is a beautiful word that many booklovers can relate to.

"n. The strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time- filled with thousands of old books you'll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured."

The first time I found this word was in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows...obviously the title of the dictionary describes itself well, but it is mainly the perfect place to find the words for emotions that you are unable to explain.

My best guess as to the word's origins...

So, in Greek, 'ichor' is the golden liquid that flowed in the gods' bodies instead of blood. "Vellum"basically is the definition for the perfect animal skin used to bind books and pages out of. Put them together...vellichor!

My second favorite word deserves to be an honorable mention here, as it has similar orgins and is just as beautiful:

Petrichor. (Pe-tre-kor)

It describes the pleasant earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil; the distinctive smell of rain. You wouldn't believe how many times I've used this word in conversations...even though it almost never rains where I live!

Petrichor also derives from two Greek words. "Petra" and/or "Petros" mean "rock" and "stone". And, as in the previous definition, "ichor" is the golden liquid that flowed in the gods' bodies instead of blood.

Rain in the soil. The blood of the gods hitting the rocks and stones.

I really think there is no better way to describe rain than as the blood of the gods...and I did a happy dance when I read that definition.

Hope you like my words. :)