English has never been shy about borrowing what it lacks.
From avatar to boondocks, here are ten words English borrowed from other languages.
#words #English #etymology #loanwords
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An old-paper styled graphic showing the word “Propitious” and a short definition explaining that it means favourable conditions or signs of success.
When the signs align.
#words #language
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Some absences have edges.
#words #etymology
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Happy St David’s Day 🌼!
It feels right that today’s word in the Emporium is Welsh:
Hiraeth - a word for longing, for belonging, for something just beyond reach.
thecuriouswordemporium.substack.com/p/hiraeth?r=...
Perfect word for today 👇💔🤬
A minimalist graphic reading “Ten Words Worth Keeping” from The Word Emporium, set against a muted, bookish background.
Short definitions of the words Apricity, Susurration, Gloaming, Wry and Burgeon
Apricity. Wry. Verdant. Ineluctable.
Some words fill space. Others change it.
thecuriouswordemporium.substack.com/p/ten-words-...
Energy and emotion as sound.
Angie, thank you, again. Always grateful when you send fellow word-lovers our way 😍
The Word Emporium is a place for words worth keeping.
Each week, we place a few on the counter - their meaning, origin, texture, and the lives they carry.
Beautiful words. Curious words. Necessary words.
If you find yourself returning, you’re very welcome to follow.
A wooden desk beneath a small black lamp by a window. Handwritten word cards are spread out on the desk, including “Thrum,” “Petrichor,” “Flocculent,” “Compresence,” “Sobremesa,” “Murmuration,” “Nascent,” “Effulgent,” and “Komorebi.” Soft evening light filters through greenery outside the window.
A few words we’ve delved into recently, from the shelves of the Emporium.
Which one’s yours?
#words #etymology
There comes a time when momentum is made visible.
#words #etymology
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A word for depth that doesn’t hurry.
The full entry is on the counter, if you’d like to step inside. Link in bio.
#language #wordemporium
Some radiance begins within.
This week’s From the Desk is now on the counter.
A small collection gathered at the end of the week - near-miss words, quiet observations, articles that lingered.
You can read it here: thecuriouswordemporium.substack.com/p/from-the-d...
#etymology #language #wordoftheday
A word for soft, woolly shapes that hold together lightly…
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#words #wordoftheday
A simple card featuring the word “Telos” with a short definition describing it as a sense of direction or purpose that unfolds from within.
Some words don’t tell us where to go - they remind us we’re already moving.
You can find our full post on Telos below.
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#words #philosophy #ancientGreece
I was reminded of this recently, and it stayed with me. I’ve written a few notes in the margin about it…
thecuriouswordemporium.substack.com/p/from-the-m...
A warm-toned card with the word “Komorebi” and a short definition, describing sunlight filtering through leaves and forming dappled patterns of light and shadow.
A word for dappled light, moving through trees.
#words #wordoftheday
thecuriouswordemporium.substack.com/p/komorebi?r...
A word for when perspective shifts, and familiar divisions fall away.
#words #perspective #space
The Winter 2025–2026 edition of Wales Haiku Journal is now available, gathering #haiku from poets across the world - each poem shaped by attention, care, and the quiet textures of the season.
www.waleshaikujournal.com/winter2025
Calling 🗣️ all you word nerds out there - ya gotta follow @thewordemporium.bsky.social Your brain will love you 💖
This is compresence in action - being here, together. Thank you for the warmth and the words.
A word for being there together. For being part of the whole.
thecuriouswordemporium.substack.com
#words #language #humanity
Good words, like good wine, are worth lingering over 📖 🍷
In case you missed it last week, one from the shelves: sobremesa.
The time after a meal when conversation lingers and time loosens its hold.
#wordoftheday #words #languages
The Word Emporium is a small, quiet project about words worth lingering over.
One word at a time - its meaning, texture, history, the feeling it carries, placed gently on the counter for anyone who wants to look more closely.
If you find yourself returning, you’re very welcome to follow.
Today’s word…
Thank you for saying this @krislindbeck.bsky.social - and for the nudge. That’s really helpful to hear.
I’m adding alt text going forward so more people can read and share comfortably ☺️
A word that carries what came before…
#words #etymology
