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Why Dictionary.com chose gemütlich
More about gemütlich
- First recorded in 1850–55.
- From German; combines Gemüt, meaning “mind, mentality” and related to the English word mood¹, + -lich, meaning “-ly.”
EXAMPLES OF GEMÜTLICH
- Jane had a way of making people feel gemütlich, even those guests who weren’t originally thrilled to go to the party.
- The flickering lanterns along the cobblestone lanes gave the village its gemütlich atmosphere.
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Why Dictionary.com chose conglobate
More about conglobate
- First recorded in 1625–35.
- From the Latin conglobāre; combines con-⁸, meaning “together,” + the Latin root globus, meaning “ball, sphere.”
- Also used figuratively.
EXAMPLES OF CONGLOBATE
- As it cooled, the spinning lump of molten glass slowly conglobated to form a perfect sphere.
- When I reflect over the past year, all the separate incidents conglobate into one tangled impression.
quintessential
adjective
of or relating to the perfect embodiment of something
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Why Dictionary.com chose quintessential
More about quintessential
- First recorded in 1545–55.
- From the Latin quīnta essentia, meaning “the fifth element or essence.”
- In Aristotelian physics, the main four elements were earth, air, fire, and water; the fifth element, or quintessence, was a pure, hypothetical substance thought to make up the heavens.
EXAMPLES OF QUINTESSENTIAL
- She dreamed of the quintessential Paris morning: a croissant in one hand and a book in the other.
- The family dinner was the quintessential holiday gathering — some laughter, some arguing, and too much pie.
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