The Beauty of Words by Lorrie Orr

 

Words are marvelous things. Little bits of sounds and letters combined in infinite ways to convey emotions, intentions, actions, and thoughts about myriads of topics. Like most writers, I am a gatherer of words. Words of other writers make their way into journals and scraps of paper that I someday intend to collate into "Lorrie's Favourite Quotations", including chapters on prayers, the four seasons, food, and so on. It will be eclectic. 

Eclectic. Now there's a fine word. All those hard c sounds make it fun to say. The L adds a bit of tongue twisting. And its meaning: "deriving ideas, style or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources" just adds to the fun. 

In addition to collecting groups of words, I like making lists of single words in my journal or my head, just because. For example: how many colour words can I write down at one sitting? Then there are words that I find beautiful - beautiful to say, beautiful to look at, or beautiful in meaning or memory. Here's a short list of five of my most best-loved words. 

1. Exquisite: extremely beautiful, and typically, delicate

I've loved this word ever since I first read it as a child, in a book describing the young Marie Antoinette. It appealed to me then and has never been replaced. Then I discovered its equivalents in French and Spanish and they just reinforced my liking for this word that combines so many lovely sounds. 

2. Apricity: the warmth of the sun in winter

Now this is an old word that is not found in many dictionaries. Blogger underlines it in red as if to say in a loud voice, "There's a mistake here. Fix it." Well, Mr. Blogger, apricity is a grand word and anyone who lives in Canada and has felt that faint warmth on a still chilly day can appreciate it. 

3. Lichen: a simple, slow-growing plant that typically forms a low crusty, leaflike, or branching growth on rocks, walls, and trees

Who could fail to like the word lichen with its homonym liken? And lichen themselves are determined and friendly things, the result of a partnership...well, we won't get into science here, but I love seeing them grow on bare rocks.

4. Cusp: a point of transition between two different states

Short and to the point, the crispness of cusp conveys change and anticipation - something new is about to happen. Cusp teeters between now and then, before and after, a thin sliver of time.

5. Hissy fit: an outburst of anger, often in a childlike manner

Okay, so this is two words. I'm taking poetic license. I first heard this word from friends from the southern USA and adopted it immediately. "Don't throw a hissy fit," I would say to my children when they were about to erupt. There's a bit of humour in saying the word that defused the situation surprisingly often. 

Oh, I can't stop. Here's one more - the bonus word.

6. Limpid: marked by transparency, clear and simple in style, absolutely serene and untroubled

I first ran across this word in a piece of piano music "From the Limpid Stream" by Frederich Burgmuller. I liked the way the notes trickled throughout the piece like a brook babbling over stones, but I had to look up the word limpid and then I didn't really think it looked and sounded like its meaning. I still don't, but I like it. 

Do you collect words? What are some of your favourites?

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island where she enjoys boating and hiking with her husband. Gardening, sewing, reading, and spending time with her five grandchildren fill her days with happiness and contentment. She is newly retired from teaching high school Spanish.