Aimonomia

close-up of a plant with lights glowing in background

Aimonomia

n.
the fear that learning the name of something—a bird, a constellation, an attractive stranger—will somehow ruin it, inadvertently transforming a lucky discovery into a conceptual husk pinned in a glass case, leaving one less mystery fluttering around in the universe.

French aimer, to love + nom, name. A palindrome. Pronounced “eym-uh-nohm-ee-uh.”

Rookish

a stone tower with a person seated on top

Galagog

a person alone in a snowy desolate landscape

Boorance

a group of objects on a table

Nemotia

a city with clouds of smoke

Liberosis

Cover image for the Liberosis word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Beloiter

a person sitting at a slot machine

Pithered

stacks of papers and folders piled high on a table

Amentalio

a person in a white dress, facing away

Candling

Cover image for the Candling word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Elsing

Cover image for the Elsing word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Galagog

a person alone in a snowy desolate landscape

Hanker Sore

Cover image for the Hanker Sore word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Yeorie

a woman with tendrils of smoke moving across her face