Caucic

a close-up of a stone walking path

Caucic

adj.
afraid that the rest of your life is already laid out in front of you, that you’re being swept inexorably along a series of predictable milestones—from school to graduation to career to marriage to kids to retirement to death—which makes you wish you could pull off to the side of the road for a little while, to stretch your legs and spread out the map so you can double-check that you’re headed the right way.

Middle English cauci, path or road + caustic, able to burn or corrode living tissue. Pronounced “kaw-sik.”

Furosha

a storm raging in the sky over a building

Nodrophobia

close-up of a stained shirt

Achenia

a close-up of a bottle with an organic object inside

Wollah

a person with shapes raining on them

Knellish

a blurry image of a person lying on a bed

Starlorn

snow flakes in the dark

Evertheless

a person floating in water

Rookish

a stone tower with a person seated on top

Elosy

a blurry image of a person in a subway car

Arroia

people standing on a stage

Dystoria

close up of water drops on a window

Aimonomia

close-up of a plant with lights glowing in background

Moriturism

a person resting in the back seat of a car

Mogging Folly

a person sitting on a bench

Suerza

a tunnel with a light emanating from the end

Galagog

a person alone in a snowy desolate landscape

Nemotia

a city with clouds of smoke

Future-Tense

a person looking at their reflection

Etterath

a graduation cap and gown on a chair

Evertheless

a person floating in water

Volander

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

Yeorie

a woman with tendrils of smoke moving across her face

Waldosia

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

Aulasy

a blurry image of a house on the road

Malotype

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

Hem-Jawed

an abstract image of someone touching their face

Harmonoia

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