Arroia

people standing on a stage

Arroia

n.
the wish that you could’ve enjoyed a dry run of your life—muddling through once quickly, then going back to do it all over again, this time for real.

Spanish arroyo, a dried-up streambed waiting for a storm, literally a “dry run.” Pronounced “uh-roi-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

Ioia

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

Nighthawk

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

Anecdoche

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

Fellchaser

a blurred shadow of a person in a dark room

Trueholding

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

Elosy

a blurry image of a person in a subway car

Eisce

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

Trumspringa

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

Keta

a hand reaching through paper with a flower drawing