J.K. Pikkujämsä

Ekzofonik sözlüğüme hoş geldiniz! Yeni bir yazı okumak üzeresiniz.

Capharnaüm.

A cluttered and messy place.

The Turkish word kalabalık yalnızlık, or “crowded loneliness”, won a million votes, beating “digital fatigue” and other contenders. For me, the word kalabalik has always been a favourite, and this newly voted word just adds to the collection of true signs of our times. The Belgians voted for the word “aura”, beating other interesting contenders such as climavore: a person who chooses a diet that minimises the negative impact on the climate; or narcomicide: settling scores between drug dealers. The latter has unfortunately become a very concrete word in some districts of Brussels, including Saint-Gilles.

From the Nahum Hills of Galilee, I hereby name one of my own recent nominees, be it for the coming New Year or even the next: capharnaüm. It is hardly a new or trendy word, and would not pass the criteria of these national word elections, but it fits my sense of what is going on, and I intend to use it actively. Some words just come to me and simmer in my mind. In this case, I cannot put my finger on why this word is timely and appealing, and it does not matter.

You have just read a new entry in my exophonic lexicon.