this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2025
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Any language, explain what it means if it's not English.

For example (as a non-native speaker) I've always liked the English word 'unprecedented', mostly in the context of fiction. Especially if it paints some entity to be really mystical or wondrous or it's own never before seen order of magnitude in any way.

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[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Gruntled. It means pleased or contented. It’s the positive form of the much more common “disgruntled”. If someone is caught in the rain, they may be disgruntled about being wet. But you very rarely hear the word “gruntled” used.

Similarly, “whelmed” is a word, which basically means “submerged” or “engulfed”. You can be _over_whelmed by emotion, meaning you were completely overtaken and swept away by the emotion. You can be _under_whelmed by an experience, meaning it failed to fully meet your expectations. But you can also just be whelmed. The experience did exactly what you expected; no more, no less.

[–] ada@friend.blahaj.zone 3 points 5 days ago

Dificilisimo. Spanish word meaning very difficult. I just love the way it sounds though.

[–] hbar@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 days ago

I have 2, spangled and gumption.

[–] MrBobs@lemmy.one 3 points 5 days ago

Tmesis. Breaking up a word and inserting another word.

Like absolutely becomes....

Abso-bloody-lutely.

Don't think it has to be a swear word, but it seems most common. :)

[–] GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I have a few favorite ones in english (which is not my first language) of the top of my head:

-Document/documented (I particularly like the Q sound of the second syllable and the cadence of the pronunciation)

-Cocoon. (Just great. Satisfying to say. Makes me feel cosy. 10's across the board)

-Gazebo. (Very removed from the usual sounds of my native language, unusual but fun)

Edited to add:

In spanish: Panóptico (panopticon) also satisfying to sat and with good cadence

[–] MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

Scots is full of wonderful words - glaiket, baffies, birl, coorie - it's hard to pick a favourite. But I'll go for "thrawn" - it's a kind of perverse stubbornness, a grim grip on a point of view.

[–] Ibuthyr@feddit.org 1 points 4 days ago

Lautmalerei.

It's just the German word for onomatopoeia (which also exists in the German language). It could be directly translated into soundpainting I suppose?

[–] penguin202124@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (I hope I spelt that right)

[–] Kuma@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I searched for the meaning and got a video clip instead of a musical about the word, still don't know the meaning and I am fine with that, now I know how to sound precocious ;)

Remember to say it loud enough!

[–] skankhunt42@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 days ago
[–] kdcd@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago

Solamente, it just flows so well. It means only in Spanish.

[–] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 3 points 6 days ago

I've always liked the word Adenosine. Not sure why, just fun to say.

[–] 6stringringer@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

I like the word “Unexpurgated”.

[–] replicator@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

The Trinity of Doo: doobie, doofus, doodle.

[–] wizzor@sopuli.xyz 27 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Epäjärjestelmällistyttämättömyydelläänsäkäänköhän.

It's the longest word you can make in Finnish without using compounds, which can be infinite length.

It means, very loosely translated "I wonder if the outcome was a result of their lack of ability to cause others to be disorganized. "

I know, Finnish is an enviable language.

[–] folkrav@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Am I understanding that Finnish has a way to combine words without being considered to be a compound? My very limited exposure to compound words (through German) was the very idea of mashing the words together made them compound.

[–] wizzor@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

We have a concept of word inflection, which can be used to replace a lot of words that English would use to denote something being a question, ownership markers, causes and effects etc.

Compounds are fun too, since you can do chaining:

Viskibassokitaravahvistinpiiri

Whisky base guitar amplifier circuit

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

We have a concept of word inflection, which can be used to replace a lot of words that English would use to denote something being a question, ownership markers, causes and effects etc.

I don't speak Finnish, but I believe a good example for such an inflection is how in English you can glue an -s to words to make them plural. In some other languages, you say "many word" instead, because they don't have such an inflection.

[–] watson387@sopuli.xyz 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] nebulaone@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

English: Spaghettification (being ripped/stretched apart extremely violently)

Oh and almost forgot: Yeet is an actual word now, so that as well.

German: Zeitgeist (so well known you've probably heard it already ["spirit of the times"])

Programming languages: print("lol, lmao even.");

[–] grillgamesh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

antidisestablishmentarianism. its a fun word to say.

[–] lattrommi@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

i feel the same way about pneumonoultramicroscopicsyllacovolcanoconiosis. it's fun to say!

it's not considered a real word anymore (and from what i gather, never really was a real word, in the opinion of the english nerds who decide such things) but i learned how to say it, dammit! i can't unlearn that!

i might have even learned how to spell it correctly. i didn't check the spelling as i wrote it in this comment but i also don't think it matters if i incorrectly spell a word that isn't really a word. so... yeah...

anyways, it was possibly used as a complicated version of what was known as 'black lung' disease, which coal miners in the appalacians contracted from inhaling silica dusts, for anyone curious.

[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It should be “silico” instead of “syllaco”. It comes from “silicon”, like the dust you mentioned.

[–] anothermember@feddit.uk 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Steadfast. As a native English speaker it feels like a very strong, grounded word which also suits its meaning. Originally literally means fixed in place, it's come to mean loyal and unswerving.

[–] Bldck@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago

Stalwart Stolid Solid

[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I love the word helicopter, because unobviously, the root words aren’t heli and copter, but are “helico”, meaning spiral, and “pter”, meaning wing.

[–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Subtle, rhythm, and Wednesday. The spelling is just absolutely wild.

It’s about as messy as old British coins and Roman measures.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I also enjoy "one". There's just a random "w" in there when you pronounce it.

[–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 2 points 6 days ago

Yeah, “wan” would make 5000% more sense.

[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

The subtle debt rhymed in rhythm on Wednesday.

Waffle not the food just the word. It’s fun to say.

[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 week ago

I love the word trabajaba (pronounced trah-buh-hah-buh). It means “worked” in Spanish.

[–] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Anesthetize

The 'esth' right into a t is just about the coolest combination of word sounds in any word in English.

Second favorite is cwm. :)

[–] lattrommi@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 week ago

As someone with a lisp who tends to turn 's' and 'z' sounds into a 'th' sound, i will respectfully disagree that it is a cool combination. it hurts me a little that i can't always say words properly but i suppose i could always ask a doctor to aneththetithe me.

[–] daggermoon@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] FireWire400@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Very versatile word in Straya and NZ

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

autodefenestration is a fun one

[–] lattrommi@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

defenestratafenestra isn't a real word but i use it to tell people i stopped using Windows and switched to Linux.

[–] lemuria@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There are plenty of feminine given names that roll off the tongue incredibly well. Names like "Anna" and "Elaine" and "Katherine" do not begin to scratch the surface... But again, I pay more attention to names than the average person because I am obsessed with linguistics, and that obsession is what made me click this thread and type out a reply in the first place.

[–] cy_narrator@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 6 days ago

I knew a girl with such a cute name but she was not very good looking so guys used to say "name scam"

[–] DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Vegemíté, as pronounced by Gloria in Modern Family.

Every time I open the cupboard that has a jar, it brings me joy.

[–] daggermoon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's good shit. I ain't even an Aussie but that shit makes everything better.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

No way, I've never met anyone who didn't grow up with Vegemite but still enjoys it.

[–] DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Thing with Vegemíté is that it's like Marmite, but not fucking awful.

[–] daggermoon@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

I like Marmite too lol

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

Sunwise and widdershins.

[–] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago

Paraprosdokian. A sentence with a twist in it. Eg. Some people are like slinkies: not really good for much but they bring a smile to your face when you see one tumble down a set of stairs.

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