Holiette

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Holiette

n.
a place that seems to hold profound significance to everyone else but you—the sacred temple of some other faith, a random fence post festooned with flowers, a crowd cheering for a team you’ve never heard of—which leaves you trying to coax yourself into feeling something anyway, like inserting your house key into a random lock just to feel if something clicks.

From holy, sacred or religiously revered + -ette, denoting an imitation of the real thing. Pronounced “hoh-lee-et.”

Wenbane

a person standing on a ledge looking at a city skyline

Hobsmacked

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Star-Stuck

a man walking towards a door with a large question mark

Burn Upon Reentry

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Covalent Bond

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Pâro

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Nullness

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Xeno

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Eigenschauung

Eigen-schauung

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Latigo

aerial view of a city at night

Scrough

a person working on the sidewalk

La Cuna

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Future-Tense

a person looking at their reflection

Xeno

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Plata Rasa

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Manusia

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Suente

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

Grayshift

a spiral staircase from above

Hubilance

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

Backmasking

a woman's face with a double exposure