It also has an L in the middle, and low sounding vowels towards the front of the mouth in both the first and last syllables.
It consists of three syllables, including a stressed first syllable. “Solitude” is another word that meets many of David Crystal’s criteria. Meaning: The quality or state of being alone, or remote from society (noun) This principle of being cocooned is applied to “chrysalism” - what better description for the feeling of being in a storm? 4. As children, many of us are exposed to the word “chrysalis” when learning about the development of butterflies and other insects. Meaning: The act of feeling tranquil while being indoors during a thunderstorm (noun)Īdmittedly, this one’s a bit of an Internet-era phenomenon. Perhaps you can even see the opulent imagery as you speak it? Go on… give it a go. We almost picture the open “ohh” at the start of this word dripping like a luxurious dollop of honey. (For reference, “unattractive” sounds by Crystal’s standards include Z-sounds and TH-sounds.) 2. What’s more, it perfectly meets all of David Crystal’s criteria for what makes a beautiful word: It has three or more syllables, the stress is on the first syllable, and it (frequently) contains the consonant sounds L, M, S and N. Today’s spelling is adjusted to meet English suffix standards, but the word is still lovely to speak aloud. This one comes from the Latin word tremulus (to tremble). Meaning: Characterized by, or affected with, trembling or tremors (adjective) So, whether for prose or poetry, soliloquy or sonnet, the following list introduces some of our favorite English-language words. His work, and that of others, is all part of a field known as “phonaesthetics” - the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with words.
#TREMULOUS MEANING IN ENGLISH SERIES#
He’s even developed a series of criteria for what makes a word beautiful.
The well-known British linguist, David Crystal, says that sound and meaning are inherently linked. Composition and definition can both be beautiful. But what about others? What about words that lack these soft sounds, but brim with beautiful meaning? Consider the German word Wanderlust (meaning “desire to travel”) or verschlimmbessern (meaning “to make something worse by trying to improve it”). When you think of romance languages, what springs to mind? French? Italian? Spanish, perhaps? There’s no denying these languages are hallmarked with beautiful words that glide effortlessly off the tongue.
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