COZINESS COMES IN MANY FLAVORS

12 words to express in detail the pleasure of feeling good

Image: Gordon Plant

It should come as no surprise that in a world that often moves at a relentless pace, the Danish concept of hygge has garnered international attention for encapsulating the essence of coziness and well-being.

As a term with no direct English equivalent, hygge goes beyond mere physical comfort, encompassing a sense of connection, simplicity, and joy. However, the linguistic treasure of our world offers many more words from various languages that share similarities with hygge, each capturing the beauty of finding solace in life's simple pleasures.

Image: Gaelle Marcel

Let us begin with the word that started this revolution. Originating from Danish culture, hygge encapsulates an entire philosophy of comfort and well-being. The concept revolves around creating a cozy atmosphere, fostering a sense of warmth and contentment through simple pleasures and genuine connections.

Whether it's the warmth of a shared meal or the embrace of loved ones, hygge is an intentional celebration of life's comforting moments. Beyond its mere definition, hygge has become a global phenomenon, influencing lifestyle trends and prompting individuals to adopt its principles, seeking balance and joy in the middle of life's noise.

Image: Amin Hasani

While hygge might be a Danish word, its concept is a worldwide quest. The Serbian word merak refers to a feeling of bliss and the sense of being one with the universe that comes from the simplest of pleasures. It represents the pursuit of small pleasures that add up to a sense of happiness and fulfillment, a call to stop and smell the roses.

Spending time with a loved one, sitting on your balcony and watching the day go by, or any other activity that puts you in the moment.

Image: Lukasz Szmigiel

The German term waldeinsamkeit describes the peace experienced in the solitude of the woods. A union of wald (forest) and einsamkeit (solitude), this word combines the deep connection between individuals and nature.

It is a term that goes beyond mere solitude and embraces a profound sense of oneness with the woods, allowing for introspection and rejuvenation. Even more, waldeinsamkeit stands as a testament to the German affinity for this type of environment and the spiritual solace derived from the forest.

Image: Christopher Jolly

The Croatian term fjaka describes a particular state of mind and being. Originating from the Italian word fiacca, which means "doing nothing", fjaka takes on a unique sense, describing a state of deep relaxation.

It's more than just laziness: It's a surrender to the flow of time, characterized by a sense of peace. Fjaka encourages individuals to take the time to enjoy life and it is an apt description of the Mediterranean philosophy of embracing leisure and finding joy.

Image: Tom The Photographer

The Armenian term tsavt tanem has more than one meaning depending on the context of the conversation but, in its most literal sense, it means "let me take your pain". It can be said as a way of transmitting sympathy for someone’s difficult situation and is intended to convey tenderness and empathy.

The concept of hygge is represented here in a more spiritual way, in the form of a person giving comfort to another.

Image: Samantha Gades

Near the place where hygge was invented, the Dutch have a cozy word of their own: gezelligheid. A similar term to hygge, it means being somewhere with nice people, visiting or doing something with others that makes you feel at ease.

You can often hear Dutch people say that their favorite bar is very gezellig. And like hygge, it can be used at any time of the year but is more closely related to fall and winter.

Image: Alisa Anton

The German language also has a cozy word quite similar to the previous one: gemütlichkeit. This one translates simply as "coziness," but it means much more. It’s a warm feeling of comfort in a friendly atmosphere.

A similar meaning in American English could be found in "homey", in the sense that it refers to everything that reminds us of home.

Image: Stan B

This Japanese term goes a little deeper than hygge. It translates into "a reason for life," and refers to the broader actions that bring us happiness. For example, does your job fill you with passion and purpose? That is Ikigai. Do your friends fill your life with joy? That is Ikigai as well.

This concept has great importance to the Japanese and it has more to do with a process than with an end in itself. It is considered to be the thing that gets you out of bed each morning.

Image: Haley Powers

One of the closest linguistic cousins to hygge, not only geographically but conceptually, the Norse word fredagskos translates as "Friday coziness", referring very specifically to that Friday feeling we all know and cherish.

Conceptually, fredagskos is about pure indulgence. Take winter as the perfect excuse to trade a night out for a Friday night in: treat yourself to your favorite comfort food on the sofa or curl up and watch TV with a hot chocolate.

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Nestle is a verb that transmits a similar vibe to the concept of hygge. We can nestle against someone for comfort, we can nestle a baby in our arms, or we can also nestle in our bed.

The verb itself comes from the Old English nestlian, which means "to build a nest". That idea eventually evolved into the current meaning of "lying close to somebody or something" in search of warmth and comfort.

Image: Fatty corgi

In a similar but not identical realm to nestle, the word nuzzle may be something a pet does more than an individual, but it still does the trick. It means "to affectionately rub your nose and face against someone," and it does transmit a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Nuzzling is a natural physical expression of love and even watching videos of pets and animals nuzzling conveys a warm feeling that can be very easily associated with coziness.

Image: Chayene Rafaela

Canoodling is the pleasure we get from enjoying each other’s company. It can be a canoodle with a good friend: whispering, giggling, and just being together. Or, you can also be canoodling with your partner, watching a movie on a cold evening.

The warmth of being close to someone you care deeply about transmits a feeling that can also be compared to the cozy comfort that is conveyed in the very concept of hygge.

The name of the game

10 things that were named after their creators

It is common for discoveries and inventions to be named after their developers or discoverers, but some products are so common that we fail to recognize them as related to a person’s name. From hot tubs to writing systems, inventors and scientists have left their personal mark everywhere. Here are ten common things that are named after the mastermind behind them.

Did you know that "Jacuzzi" is a brand and not the name of this type of hot tub? Founded in the early 20th century by the Jacuzzi brothers, the manufacturing company was initially focused on aviation and agricultural pumps. In the 1950s, Candido, one of the brothers, designed a portable hydrotherapy pump to help with the treatment of his son, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis.

After witnessing the child’s positive response to the treatment, Candido patented the invention, which became popular as a therapeutic aid first, and later as a spa device. In the late 1960s, Jacuzzi developed the first whirlpool bath, which used jets to mix air and water.

Though similar wooden wheels already existed (but were not common), this quintessential fair attraction as we know it was designed by engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, as organizers wanted a feature that rivaled the 1889 Paris Expo’s Eiffel Tower.

Ferris designed a 264-foot-tall steel wheel (equivalent to a 25-story building), weighing over 2,000 tons, with 36 passenger cars. Each car could fit up to 60 people, meaning the ride could carry about 2,000 passengers at once.

The development of the telegraph in the 19th century revolutionized the speed and reach of communications, but what the best-suited code for it was was still an ongoing discussion. In the 1830s, Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail, and Joseph Henry developed their own electrical telegraph system and looked into developing a code based on "on and off" electrical pulses.

Morse developed a system around short and long pulses (dots and dashes) that his machine would transform into indentations onto a moving paper tape. In 1844, he sent the first Morse code message from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, which read "What hath God wrought?"

Tactile writing systems already existed before Louis Braille, a blind 15-year-old French student, developed his now-famous writing system in 1824, but they were not practical. Braille had learned to use the "night writing" code, based on 12 raised dots representing letters, but he realized that each cell or group of dots was too big to be felt at once with the fingertips.

Braille spent nine years developing a new system, based on the "night writing" code, with 6 dots per cell, which allowed for each "letter" to be encompassed at once. Today, the Braille system, virtually unchanged from its development, is one of the most widely used writing systems for the visually impaired.

Before "sandwich" was the name of a beloved snack or an easy lunch choice, it was a town in Kent, England, which gave its name to the Earldom of Sandwich. Eating food encompassed in bread is as old as humanity, but sandwiches didn’t receive their name, nor were they considered a category of their own, until the 18th century.

John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, was known for his love of cards and gaming. To avoid leaving the card table when feeling hungry, he had his servants bring him roast beef between two pieces of toasted bread, which eliminated the need for a fork and prevented the cards from getting greasy. The snack became popular in London attached to his name, and the rest is history.

As many women know, Pap smears are routinely used to detect precancerous or cancerous cells that could lead to cervical cancer, but what many might not know is that the test was originally called the "Papanicolaou test," and that is named after the couple who developed it.

George Papanicolaou was a Greek physician who, while studying the reproductive cycles of guinea pigs, came up with a way of identifying malignant cells with a microscope. His wife and assistant, Mary Papanicolaou, volunteered as a test subject, and after two decades of studies and investigation, the Papanicolaou test gained wide acceptance, becoming one of the main screening tests for cervical cancer.

If you ever saw a lab, you might have noticed an abundance of small, shallow circular containers, filled with samples. These are called "Petri dishes" and are used by scientists to grow microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. The dishes and their lids are transparent, so scientists can easily observe the samples or examine them under the microscope without disturbing them.

Why are they called "Petri" dishes? They were developed by a German physician named Julius Richard Petri, an assistant to the famous microbiologist Robert Koch. Petri observed that the glass plates covered by bell jars used in the lab allowed air and germs to contaminate the samples and made observation difficult. He designed a shallow, circular, two-part glass dish with a slightly larger lid that let oxygen in while keeping other bacteria out, and allowed for easy and close examination.

Unless you speak Spanish or are familiar with common Spanish nicknames, it might come as a surprise to know that one of America’s favourite snacks and a staple in Tex-Mex cuisine bears the name of a person. In this case, "Nacho," a common nickname for someone named "Ignacio."

These fried corn tortilla chips were invented by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, who worked at a restaurant in Coahuila, Mexico, near the U.S. border. A group of American tourists arrived after the kitchen had closed, but Anaya decided to improvise. He cut and fried corn tortillas, and topped them with melted cheese and jalapeños, a combination that surprised and delighted the guests. When asked about the name of the dish, he called it the "Nacho special."

Are you a boysenberry enthusiast? Did you know that boysenberries are not only a hybrid of 4 different berries (raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and loganberries) but that they owe their name to their creator, Rudolph Boysen? However, the one to name them was Walter Knott, the farmer behind the famous "Knott’s Berry Farm."

Boysen had enlisted Knott’s help to cultivate this hybrid plant, but had ultimately abandoned the vines and sold his farm. Knott transplanted some plants to his own farm and started selling the large berries in his produce stand. The fruit quickly became popular, and when Knott was asked the name of the variety, he named them "boysenberries" as an homage to their developer.

What came first, the diesel fuel or the diesel engine? The answer is neither, as Rudolf Diesel, a German engineer and inventor, came first of all. As an engineering student in Munich, Diesel attended a lecture about the issues of steam engines, which motivated him to start developing a more efficient engine.

He developed an internal combustion engine, which used the heat of compressed air instead of a spark plug to ignite fuel. The engine was patented in 1892, and Diesel named it after himself. This engine used different types of fuel but, over time, it became obvious that a specific type of oil worked best. With time, this petroleum-based fuel also became known as "diesel".