Knellish

a blurry image of a person lying on a bed

Knellish

adj.
afraid to relax your body and drift off to sleep because you can’t help but notice how much it rhymes with death—lying flat on your back, your hands clumped on your chest, trying to force yourself to let go of consciousness, knowing you’ll almost certainly find your grip again but unsure exactly how that happens.

Armenian քնել (k’nel), sleep + knell, a ringing announcement of a death. Pronounced “nel-ish.”

The Giltwrights

Cover image for the The Giltwrights word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Epistrix

several doors standing in a dark room

La Cuna

Cover image for the La Cuna word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Anticious

a group of men in hats looking at elevated signage

Solla, Solla, Solla

a hand reaching out for plant tendril

Fitzcarraldo

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