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.”

Heartworm

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

Blinkback

a wall full of pictures and objects

Lookaback

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

Achenia

a close-up of a bottle with an organic object inside

Emorries

a magnifying glass over photos and books

Anecdoche

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