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.”

Ellipsism

a hand clawing at a wall

Knellish

a blurry image of a person lying on a bed

Rialtoscuro

a blurry image of a light source

Rookish

a stone tower with a person seated on top

Malotype

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

Lap Year

several people racing bicycles uphill in a forest

Endzoned

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

Rookish

a stone tower with a person seated on top

Hiddled

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

Innity

a neatly made bed with diffused light glowing

The Unsharp Mask

a mirror with a reflection of a person

Heartspur

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

Poggled

a person studying a book with a magnifying glass