Word every Gracious Individual should know: Carriwitchet

Definition: Carriwitchet (pronounced ka-ri-witch-et); Middle English; noun
1. A pun or a paradox; a riddling question.

Why I love this word:
This word is about the questions or topics that make you think outside of the realm of any obvious terms. Puns are definitely fun. They are sometimes just simple sentences, but with the right use of the right words, you have a pretty mind blowing statement. Here are just a few of my favorite puns:

Can you imagine a world with no hypothetical situations?

Would an IV confuse a Roman doctor?

Why are there self-help groups?

Why do you stand up and say your name at Alcoholic's Anonymous?

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Word every Gracious Individual should know: Impunity

Definition: Impunity (pronounced imˈpyo͞onitē); Latin; noun
1. Exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.

Why I love this word:
Yesterday's word was about being habitually rebellious. Now today's word is about still being rebellious, but not having to suffer the consequences of your actions. If someone has committed a punishable offense but does not have to fear punishment, he or she does it "with impunity." 

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Word every Gracious Individual should know: Froward

Definition: Froward (pronounced froh-werd); Middle English; noun
1. Habitually rebellious. 

Why I love this word:
This word describes the child that is not easily managed. A kid who constantly rebels against their parents and does the opposite of what they say is allowed and acceptable to do. 

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Word every Gracious Individual should know: Raison D'être

Definition: Raison D'être (pronounced rāˈzôN ˈdetr(ə)); French; noun
1. The most important reason or purpose for someone or something's existence.

Why I love this word:
Reason. The one thing we probably search more for than love; it's finding our place in this world. This word emphasizes the importance of continuously being on that search. Always asking, always trying to figure it out. What you don't realize is that while you are focusing so strongly on the end result of who you want to become, it's through the journey where you learn about yourself the most. Your end result is who you have collectively become over the past years not someone who want to reach to and magically transition into.

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Word every Gracious Individual should know: Deipnosophist

Definition: Deipnosophist (pronounced dahyp-nos-uh-fist); Greek; noun
1. Someone skilled in small talk. 

Why I love this word:
Something as simple as small talk can actually be challenging to master. Trying to keep the conversation from awkwardness or trying to find the right balance between being curious and no longer being wanted is a challenge to master. You are the leader of the conversation, you set the tone, steer the direction it goes, and it's all based on personality and responding well to the person you are trying to converse with. 

Photograph from Floral Mountains

Word every Gracious Individual should know: Abulia

Definition: Abulia (pronounced a-‘bU-lE-a); English; noun
1. A total inability to make decisions. 

Why I love this word:
There are times where you are faced with a decision to make, and you are at a point where you are not really sure which road to take. That's normal. However, I think that this word defines the person who always has a difficulty making decisions whether it's something as complicated as choosing a life path when you're at a cross roads, or when it's as simple as where you want to eat today. 

Photograph by Gillian Stevens

Word every Gracious Individual should know: Cockaigne

Definition: Cockaigne (pronounced kok-‘An); English; noun
1. An imaginary land of luxury and idleness. 

Why I love this word:
This word is a medieval metaphorical expression that denotes a mythical land of plenty, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist. 

My mom constantly says I live in this la la land of luxury. That I have no grasp of the hardships of reality and I think that life just has a beautiful way of working out. Let me explain how I really view the world. I understand and have been through a few hardships that life has thrown my way. I also always like to believe that life, for me, will always be filled with abundance. I live on the philosophy of keeping my head in the clouds but my feet on the ground. I see a world where anything is possible and I am constantly accomplishing great things. And to me, this is not a fantasy because there are people, though it's only the top 2% of the world, who are living this dream right now. That is the one thing that gives me hope. It's not a dream I can only wish for, it's a goal I have yet to accomplish. 

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Word every Gracious Individual should know: Paralian

Definition: Paralian (pronounced pa-‘rA-lE-an); Greek; noun
1. One who lives by the sea.

Why I love this word:
Being Greek, I think I have an infinite love for the ocean. It's the quintessential summer muse. And as Isak Dinesen put it, "The cure for anything is salt water." As the temperature rises, so does our impulse to immerse ourselves in the ocean, and end up entranced in the deep sea seeking a creative revival. To live by the sea, is to live by the largest force of bliss and creativity one can ask for. It's a great luxury.

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Word every Gracious Individual should know: Nyctophilia

Definition: Nyctophilia (pronounced "nict-O-‘fil-E-a ); Greek; noun
1. Love of darkness or night; finding relaxation or comfort in the darkness.

Why I love this word:
Some of us simply have a love or preference for the night. Either because we possess strong feelings of loneliness or because we feel more awake and creative at night. People who often feel sadness or loneliness feel most comfortable in dark spaces because we feel less exposed, less vulnerable. It's synonymous with being able to hide away a lot of emotions. Then for the creative, we sleep all day and work all night, and that's when we get some of our best work done.

Photograph by Carin Olsson

Word every Gracious Individual should know: Vade Mecum

Definition: Vade Mecum (pronounced "wa-dA-‘mE-kum); Latin; noun
1. A favorite book carried everywhere; a handbook of useful information kept at one's side. lit. 'go with me'

Why I love this word:
Firstly, notice the pronunciation of this word. It's wa-day, not va-day. Now we can focus on the meaning of this word and why I love it. I always carry a Moleskin notebook with me wherever I go. I actually have multiple notebooks used for multiple things. I'm very old-fashioned, and prefer to physically write things down. I have one notebook that is my daily to-do list, and another small notebook I carry with me to jot down thoughts that randomly come to me as I live out my days. At the end of let's say a week or a month, I come back to this notebook, take a look at my random moments and thoughts throughout that time frame and I feel inspired all over again. Then, I begin to write. 

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