Xeno

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

Xeno

n.
the smallest measurable unit of human connection, typically exchanged between passing strangers—a warm smile, a sympathetic nod, a shared laugh about some odd coincidence—moments that are fleeting and random but still contain powerful emotional nutrients that can alleviate the symptoms of feeling alone.

Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos), alien, stranger. Pronounced “zee-noh.”

Thwit

close-up of a person with forehead wrinkled and holding their head

Eftless

a person with hands pressed on a window

Proluctance

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

Suerza

a tunnel with a light emanating from the end

Scrough

a person working on the sidewalk

Desanté

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