Ilvarno

Notebook for possible dragon names

Moonbow in English
A moonbow (also known as a lunar rainbow or white rainbow), is a rainbow produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon (as opposed to direct sunlight) refracting off of moisture-laden clouds in the atmosphere. Moonbows are relatively faint, due to the smaller amount of light reflected from the surface of the moon. They are always in the opposite part of the sky from the moon.

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Words without English counterparts
Schadenfreude

German – Quite famous for its meaning, which somehow other languages have neglected to emulate, this refers to the feeling of pleasure derived by seeing another’s misfortune. I guess “America’s Funniest Moments of Schadenfreude” just didn’t have the same ring to it.


Duende

Spanish – While originally used to describe a mythical, spritelike entity that possesses humans and creates the feeling of awe of one’s surroundings in nature, its meaning has transitioned into referring to “the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person.”



L’appel du vide

French – “The call of the void” is this French expression’s literal translation, but more significantly it’s used to describe the instinctive urge to jump from high places.






Toska
Russian – Vladmir Nabokov describes it best: “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody or something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom.”

Mamihlapinatapei

Yagan (indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego) – “The wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start.” (Altalang.com)

Kyoikumama

Japanese – “A mother who relentlessly pushes her children toward academic achievement.”


Tartle

Scottish – The act of hestitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.

Ilunga

Tshiluba (Southwest Congo) – A word famous for its untranslatability, most professional translators pinpoint it as the stature of a person “who is ready to forgive and forget any first abuse, tolerate it the second time, but never forgive nor tolerate on the third offense.”

Cafuné

Brazilian Portuguese – “The act of tenderly running one’s fingers through someone’s hair.”


Wabi-Sabi

Japanese – Much has been written on this Japanese concept, but in a sentence, one might be able to understand it as “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.”
good for a Plague dragon :)

Hyggelig

Danish – Its “literal” translation into English gives connotations of a warm, friendly, cozy demeanor, but it’s unlikely that these words truly capture the essence of a hyggelig; it’s something that must be experienced to be known. I think of good friends, cold beer, and a warm fire.

Tingo

Pascuense (Easter Island) – Hopefully this isn’t a word you’d need often: “the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them.”

Ya’aburnee

Arabic – Both morbid and beautiful at once, this incantatory word means “You bury me,” a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person because of how difficult it would be to live without them.

Saudade

Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” Fado music, a type of mournful singing, relates to saudade.

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Luftmensch

A Yiddish word for a dreamer or a social misfit.

Yakamoz

A Turkish word for the reflection of moonlight on water.

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Uncommon English words (with illustrations)


Acersecomic A person whose hair has never been cut.


Biblioclasm: The practice of destroying, often ceremoniously, books or other written material and media.

Noegenesis: Production of knowledge.

Ostentiferous: Bringing omens or unnatural or supernatural manifestations.

Hamartia: The character flaw or error of a tragic hero that leads to his downfall.

Recumbentibus: A knockout punch, either verbal or physical.

Scripturient: Possessing a violent desire to write.

Tarantism: A disorder characterised by an uncontrollable urge to dance.

Vernalagnia: A romantic mood brought on by Spring.

Yonderly: Mentally or emotionally distant; absent-minded.

Zugzwang: A position in which any decision or move will result in problem



Triple midnight: Bagheera, Banshee, Nyx & Nox, Obsidian, Abyss
Old Norse draumr, means dream
Prophecy, Siren,
Smuga, Modry, Mara, Sen, Knieja, Frajda, Trzaski, Chluba,
Skyshard, Moonpelt
Tehom: deep, sea, abyss in Hebrew (almost always in poetry)
Sheol
Surf, Breeze
Errol

Asperse
1 : sprinkle; especially : to sprinkle with holy water
2 : to attack with evil reports or false or injurious charges

http://www.dictionary.com/slideshows/wedding-words#epithalamion