7 of the most enchanting words in the English language
Some exquisite English words with exotic roots
Language can be a work of art too. A single conversation possesses the power to delight, enchant and inspire. From the ancient epic of The Iliad to the prose of William Blake, to the soulful musings of Kahlil Gibran, poetic language has captivated the hearts of humankind for millennia.
If you find your conversation has become somewhat lacklustre (lacking vitality or inspiration; a term coined by William Shakespeare), here are seven elegant words to begin revitalising it:
- ALCHEMY (noun)
/ˈalkɪmi/
Alchemy entered English (via French and Latin) from the Arabic al-kimiya, which itself had assimilated khemeioa from Greek. Both terms also mean alchemy, with the Arabic one attaching the article al (“the”) to it, before it infiltrated Europe through Arabic Spain.
Alchemy is defined as the medieval science concerned with the transmutation of base metals, such as lead, into gold. It was a precursor to physics.
According to Lexico, it is also used to describe a “A seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination”. It is now frequently used in the context of inner alchemy, that is, practices that are optimal for positively shifting one’s state of mind.
“Become an alchemist. Transmute base metal into gold, suffering into consciousness, disaster into enlightenment.” — Eckhart Tolle
2. CASCADE (verb)
/kasˈkeɪd/
Cascade has its origins in the Colloquial Latin term casicare (past participle of cadere, meaning “to fall”). It is also theorised that this may have originated from kad, a Proto Indo-European root word, with the same meaning. Before it landed in the lexicon of English, it journeyed through Italian (cascata and cascare) and Old French, where finally, it fused into cascade, the term that is still used today.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, cascade was initially a noun, meaning “a fall or flow of water over a cliff; a waterfall”, before it became a verb, as in “to fall, pour, or rush in or as if in a cascade”, as defined by Merriam-Webster.
Cascade now denotes to water falling or pouring down rapidly, or to something, such as luscious curls that tumble down a person’s back, resembling a buoyant waterfall.
“We say that life is sweet, its satisfactions deep. All this we say, as we sleepwalk our time through years of days and nights. We let time cascade over us like a waterfall, believing it to be never-ending.” — Josephine Hart
3. ETHEREAL (adjective)
/ɪˈθɪərɪəl/
Ethereal is an adjective kin of the noun ether, which was assimilated into English, via Old French and Latin, from the Greek word aithēr (meaning the upper or purer air of the sky; the fifth element). Ancient cosmology proposed aithēr, the less tangible of the elements, to be the substance of the stars, planets and heavens.
Ethereal originally pertained to the description of the highest spheres beyond the earth, until it gradually expanded its meaning to become synonymous for “light and airy” or “spirit-like, heavenly, celestial”.
Lexico’s definitions of ethereal include: “Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems not to be of this world” and “Heavenly or spiritual.”
“The soul of Mozart seems to dwell on the ethereal peaks of Olympus” — Henri Frederic Amiel
4. EPHEMERAL (adjective)
/ɪˈfɛm(ə)r(ə)l/
Ephemeral originated from the Medieval Latin medical term ephemera (febris), which means “[a fever that is] lasting a day”. Latin had borrowed it from the Greek term ephemeros, which also means “short-lived” or “lasting for one day”.
Initially, it served to describe diseases that were short-lived, but ultimately opened to include anything that is fleeting. Lexico defines ephemeral as “Lasting for a very short time.”
It is popularly used to poetically describe the delicate transience of life. Plants, such as sakura (cherry blossoms) are often described as being beautifully ephemeral.
“…beauty consists of its own passing, just as we reach for it. It’s the ephemeral configuration of things in the moment, when you can see both their beauty and their death.” — Muriel Barbery
5. LOQUACIOUS (adjective)
/ləˈkweɪʃəs/
Loquacious is derived from the Latin term loquax (meaning “talkative”), which came from loqui (“to speak”). Similar words were created in the Romance languages, as French established loquace, while Spanish opted for locuaz.
After its debut in English in the 17th century, with its lyrical feel, poets delighted in extending its use to include inanimate objects, such as that of a cascading river. This can be seen in Anna Steward’s Sonnet LXI, of the late 18th century: “Nods o’er loquacious brook, or silent well.”
Currently, loquacious has still retained its original meaning, as Lexico defines it as “Tending to talk a great deal; talkative.”
“I prefer silent prudence to loquacious folly.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero
6. MELANCHOLIA (noun)
/ˌmɛlənˈkəʊlɪə/
Melancholia blossomed into the English language in the 14th century, through Old French and Late Latin, but has its roots in Greek. The Greek term melankholia translates to “black bile” and denotes “sadness”, as some ancient Greek medico-philosophers believed the liver to be the centre of the soul, while Roman anatomist Galen believed the spleen to purify the liver and produce black bile. Black bile was said to be a symptom of excessive sorrow.
Online Etymology Dictionary defines melancholia as “a mental condition characterized by great depression, sluggishness, and aversion to mental action”. Originally, it was a term reserved for those with strong depression.
Nowadays, the use of the term has softened somewhat, and it can be used to describe a hauntingly sad state of mind. Lexico describes melancholia as
“A feeling of deep sadness; melancholy.”
“I have gotten so used to melancholia that I greet it like an old friend.” — Charles Bukowski
7. SERENDIPITY (noun)
/ˌsɛr(ə)nˈdɪpɪti/
Serendipity was coined by English writer Horace Walpole, but the inspiration behind it lies faraway from England. Walpole brought the word into fruition after reading the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip. Serendip was a dated name for Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), which came from the Arabic word Sarandib, which is derived from the Sanskrit term Simhaladvipa.
Walpole stated that the protagonists of the fairy tale were constantly were “making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.” Despite Walpole first using it in the 18th century, it was not commonly used until the 20th century.
It is now used to describe events that unfold in a fortunate, unexpected and spontaneous manner. Lexico’s definition of serendipity is “The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.”
“Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.” — Laurence Block
The elixir of inner alchemy and a sweet taste of serendipity
As I sit on the bare and rustic balcony of Ashoka, I take a moment to inhale the intoxicatingly fresh air at the foothills of the Himalayas. Around me, spirited tourists and eager merchants chatter loquaciously, while contrastingly, several monks wander in contemplative solitude. And above me, in a powerful union of both scenes, prayer flags dance in silent wildness. Like the flags, my mind oscillates, from melancholia of the past, to the vast unknowingness of the future, until it cascades, into the sheer tranquil presence of the now, if only for a few ephemeral moments. As I gaze at the town that swiftly inspired me to pursue an even deeper journey of inner alchemy, I recall the fond moments of magical serendipity: unexpected reunions with dear friends, and even a soulful lover, whom I’d met in other faraway places, over the years.
I close my eyes and allow myself to absorb the ethereal, yet ephemeral, beauty of it all.
