Desanté

Desanté

n.
the brooding delirium of being sick, which makes time slow to a trickle and turns even the most pathetic of tasks into monumental struggles, until the act of lifting your head from the pillow feels like trying to climb a mountain, wondering if you’ll ever find your way back again, or even catch your breath.

A riff on the French toast santé. Literally, “un-health!” Pronounced “day-sahn-tey.”

Proluctance

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

Lyssamania

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

Lap Year

several people racing bicycles uphill in a forest

Amentalio

a person in a white dress, facing away

Heartspur

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

Yeorie

a woman with tendrils of smoke moving across her face