Kairosclerosis

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

Kairosclerosis

n.
the moment you look around and realize that you’re currently happy—consciously trying to savor the feeling—which prompts your intellect to identify it, pick it apart, and put it in context, where it will slowly dissolve until it’s little more than an aftertaste.

Ancient Greek καιρός (kairos), a sublime or opportune moment + σκλήρωσις (sklḗrōsis), hardening. Pronounced “kahy-roh-skluh-roh-sis.”

Flashover

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Heartmoor

a campfire with a kettle many small logs

Galagog

a person alone in a snowy desolate landscape

Waldosia

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

Lap Year

several people racing bicycles uphill in a forest

Monachopsis

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