Volander

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

Volander

n.
the ethereal feeling of looking down at the world through an airplane window, able to catch a glimpse of far-flung places you’d never see in person, free to let your mind wander, trying to imagine what they must feel like down on the ground—the closest you’ll ever get to an objective point of view.

Latin volare, to fly + solander, a book-shaped box for storing maps. Pronounced “voh-land-uhr.”

Mogging Folly

a person sitting on a bench

Hem-Jawed

an abstract image of someone touching their face

Galagog

a person alone in a snowy desolate landscape

Amuse-Douche

Cover image for the Amuse-Douche word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Evertheless

a person floating in water

Fygophobia

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