These Are The Most Beautiful Words To Hear

Effervescence. Somnambulant. Petrichor. What do these words have in common? One refers to fizziness, another to sleepwalking, another to the earthy smell that follows rain. They are all, however, very pretty, at least, they are according to Buzzfeed. In this new video, Buzzfeed soothes us with the sweet tones of the most beautiful words. The video was inspired by a post by post by Daniel Dalton, containing a collection of beautiful words taken from Twitter users. What I find interesting about the article and the video is that the beauty of the words exists separately from their meaning. Although some words, like “incandescence,” simultaneously describe something beautiful (a thing that is aglow or brilliant) and are aurally beautiful in themselves, other words are lovely in sound only. “Epoch,” for example, is gorgeous in sound but boring in practice, referring merely to a particular period of time. “Defenestration” is pleasant to say but not to experience: It describes throwing someone out of a window.

The video is very relaxing, with gorgeous words posed against soft images – I recommend you view it before bed (perhaps beautiful words will lead to beautiful dreams?). I agree with Buzzfeed’s picks; these words are indeed, beautiful, my favorite being “Luminescence.”

I’ve come up with a few of my own:

Melancholia: (n) A state of depression.

Susurrus: (n) A whispering sound.

Vermillion: (n) A very bright red.

Ecstasy: (n) Intense, overwhelming happiness.

Shimmer: (v) To gleam softly.

Sibilance: (n) A hissing sound.

Fallow: (adj) Not in use; In the case of land, unseeded.

Whispering: (adj) Said in soft, breathy tones.

Dappled: (adj) Having irregular spots.

Full video below, and it is, undoubtedly, very lovely to listen to:

Images: YouTube (2); Giphy (4)