I’ve discovered a new word and am delighted by it. The word is psithurism.
What d’you mean, you knew that already? If you’ve a bicycle upon your person, get ye hence upon it, madam.
As you didn’t know, psithurism refers to a phenomenon dear to me: the sound of the wind in the trees.
I discovered it as a clue in the New York Times mini crossword, which I do after Wordle and Spelling Bee in the wee and arguably small hours when sleep eludes me for a little while.
‘Singing and writing wind music’
Delving deeper, I discovered an article about the word on the children’s online resource, Wonderopolis, which said the phenomenon had inspired writers and poets.
It quoted Scots-American naturalist John Muir referring to pine trees “singing and writing wind music all their long century lives”.
As it happens, I’ve an interest in coincidences, and had just finished writing a feature about John Muir. Spooky!
The website led me to other interesting words inspired by nature, such as petrichor, which I found I already had in a file of interesting words that I keep. Me, sad?
How these words came to be
Petrichor refers to that earthy smell after it rains. It comes from the Greek words petros (stone; as in petrified – turned to stone) and ichor (the golden liquid running through the veins of the gods).
Psithurism also comes from the Greek, in this case psithuros, meaning “whispering”. It can also mean “slanderous”, though I hate to think of trees being like that.
Perhaps as I go by, thinking romantically, ‘How lovely to hear the breeze in the trees’, they’re whispering, “Look at his big nose” or “He’s wearing those trousers again”. Surely not!
Apricity, from Latin apricus, refers to the warmth of the sun in winter, while moonglade – gorgeous word – is the track of moonlight shining on water. How many times have I been entranced by that glorious sight without having the word!
Other words I have
Moonglade’s etymology was more uncertain, with the first bit from Old English, and the second possibly from Old Norse. A glade, as you know, being an open space in the woods, which would be bright like the light in moonglade.
For your amusement or edification, other words from my file include the Italian sprezzatura: concealing the work that went into art, as if it had been done without effort or thought. Reader’s voice: “Just like this column.” Yes, er, exactly.
From Reading The Oxford English Dictionary by Ammon Shea, I liked acnestis, “the point of the back that lies between the shoulders and the lower back, which cannot be reached to be scratched;” jentacular, “of or pertaining to breakfast”; opsigamy, “marrying late in life”; and, back to nature, umbriphilous, “fond of shade”.
But wait, there’s boffice
Of new, Covid-inspired words listed by linguist Adam Jacot de Boinod, I noted boffice: “a bed used as an office while working from home”.
For your further edification, here are a couple of Latin sayings found in my files: gladiator in arena consilium capit (Seneca) – “The gladiator is formulating his plan in the arena” (i.e. too late); barba tenus sapientes (anon) – “wise as far as his beard” (i.e. looks intelligent but isn’t).
And no, madam, that does not apply to me. I don’t even look intelligent for a start.
