Redesis

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

Redesis

n.
a feeling of queasiness while offering someone advice, knowing they might well face a totally different set of constraints and capabilities, any of which might propel them to a wildly different outcome—which makes you wonder if all of your hard-earned wisdom is fundamentally nontransferable, like handing someone a gift card in your name that probably expired years ago.

Middle English rede, advice + pedesis, the random motion of particles. Pronounced “ruh-dee-sis.”

Alpha Exposure

a close-up of a baby with diffusion filter

Dorgone

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

Mal De Coucou

a blurry image of several men

The Til

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

Lockheartedness

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

Austice

a leaf imprint in the mud