New words – 13 August 2018

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koselig noun [U]
UK /ˈkəʊsᵊlɪ/ US /ˈkoʊsᵊlɪ/
a Norwegian word for a quality of cosiness that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, eating nice food or spending time with friends in a warm, comfortable place

Long, cold evenings are a perfect excuse for being koselig… It] means warm and generous and companionable and a hundred other nice things. It’s when cafés offer you a blanket or sheepskin so you can linger outside and watch the Northern Lights. Or shops are lit with candles. Or complete strangers in a ski hut share a flask of hot chocolate with you.
[The Telegraph, 5 January 2018]

plogging noun [U]
UK /ˈplɒg.ɪŋ/ US /ˈplɑː.gɪŋ/
an activity involving jogging and picking up litter at the same time, from the Swedish word for ‘pick up’ (plocka) and the English word ‘jogging’

Plogging isn’t just fun to say, though. It’s good for your body, good for your mind and good for the environment around you. It means you’re doing something good for yourself and something good for the world, all at the same time.
[www.metro.co.uk, 29 January 2018]

firgun noun [U]
UK /ˈfɪə.gʊn/ US /ˈfɪr.gʊn/
a Hebrew word for a feeling of happiness or pride in someone else’s success

So having “discovered” this new emotion in myself, I’ve spent the last number of weeks just noticing when it crops up in my daily life. I have noticed it is gentle and slow but has a significant bodily response and a quirky side. The people for whom I feel firgun are diverse and sometimes inexplicable. I feel firgun for the people closest to me but also people I barely know or only fleetingly come across.
[www.thejournal.ie, 28 May 2017]

About new words

8 thoughts on “New words – 13 August 2018

  1. Arturo Leo

    Globalizing words taken from other languages, to that we are talking about, is not indispensable unless there is no word for it in the language we are willing to enrich.

  2. Does the orgin of “koselig” come from Netherlands or Germany or something? It makes me think of “gezellig” (from Netherlands) and “gesellig” (from Germany). Their meaning are the same too.

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