Yee-Lum Mak - Other-Wordly: words both strange and lovely from around the world

To my brother and family, and to the authors
who taught me to love words
Y. L. M. To Mom, Dad, Collin, and Eliza, & to Erik
you are my reference for the feelings of love
and the home that language struggles to define
K. G. R.

Text copyright 2016 by Yee-Lum Mak.
Illustrations copyright 2016 by Kelsey Garrity-Riley.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Mak, Yee-Lum.
Other-Wordly : words both strange and lovely from around the world /
By Yee-Lum Mak, illustrated by Kelsey Garrity-Riley.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-4521-2534-3 (Hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4521-5906-5 (epub 2)
ISBN 978-1-4521-6310-9 (mobi)
ISBN 978-1-4521-6311-6 (epub 3)
1. Language and languagesForeign words and phrases.
2. Language and languagesForeign elements.
3. I. I.

Garrity-Riley, Kelsey, illustrator. II. Title. P324.M35 2015
415dc23 2014039037 Design by Kristine Brogno.
Typeset in Museo Sans and Georgia.
The illustrations in this book were rendered
in gouache, ink, and collage. Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107 Chronicle Bookswe see things differently.
Become part of our community at www.chroniclekids.com. OTHER-WORDLY started when I stumbled across the Portuguese word saudade: the love that remains; a longing for someone or something that you had loved and then lost.

Id never seen anything like it before. It seemed otherworldly: bigger, stranger, and fuller than the words we use every day. It was a word for a feeling Id felt, but had never been able to name. If there were more words like that, I wanted to find them. And when I started looking, I found that every language has names for the odd and wonderful, for the unexpected things that have meaning, for the parts of our lives that are other-wordly. dawn picnic to hear the first birdsong; the act of rising in the early morning to watch the birds or to gooutside to appreciate nature KOMOREBI (noun, Japanese) the sunlight that filters through the leaves of the trees JENTACULAR (adjective, English) having to do with an early breakfast KUMMERSPECK (noun, m, German) excessive weight gained through eatingas a means of relieving stress or strong emotion BRUMOUS (adjective, English) of gray skies and winter days; filled with heavyclouds or fog; relating to winter or cold, sunless weather BRONTIDE (noun, English) the low rumble, as of distant thunder NEFELIBATA (noun, m+f, Spanish and Portuguese) lit. cloud-walker; one who lives in the clouds of their ownimagination or dreams, or one who does not obey theconventions of society, literature, or art HOPPPOLLA (verb phr., Icelandic) jumping into puddles TATEMAE (noun, Japanese) what a person pretends to believe; the behavior and opinionsone must display to satisfy societys demands HONNE (noun, Japanese) what a person truly believes; the behavior and opinions that areoften kept hidden and only displayed with ones closest confidants ONIOCHALASIA (noun, English) buying or shopping as a method of stress relief or relaxation TSUNDOKU (noun, Japanese) buying books and not reading them; letting books pileup unread on shelves or floors or nightstands BIBLIOTHECARY (noun, English) one who collects, maintains, or cares for books MAMIHLAPINATAPAI (noun, Yaghan) the look shared by two people who have reached anunspoken understanding or who desire the samething but each wish that the other would offer it first STURMFREI (adjective, German) lit. stormfree; the freedom of not being watchedby a parent or superior; being alone at home andhaving the ability to do what you want CWTCH (noun, Welsh) a hug or a cuddle; a safe place; the space orthe cupboard under the stairs ABDITORY (noun, English) a place into which you candisappear; a hiding place to preservethe things that are most valued RESFEBER (noun, c, Swedish) the restless race of the travelers heart before the journeybegins, when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together;a travel fever that can manifest as an illness FERNWEH (noun, n, German) an ache for distant places; the craving for travel SCHWELLENANGST (noun, f, German) lit. threshold anxiety; fear of embarking onsomething new or entering a place DRIVE (noun, f, French and English) lit. drift; a spontaneous journey where thetraveler leaves ordinary life behind fora time to let the spirit of the landscape andarchitecture determine the path ABLUVION (noun, English)