Rachel at a Historian's Craft has a cool list of non-English words that express complex ideas (at least for us English speakers).
For example, tingo, a word in the Pascuense language of Easter Island that means "borrowing things from a friend’s house, one by one, until he has nothing left". Perfect if Homer Simpson is your next-door neighbor.
Another good one is mamihlapinatapei, which, in the Fuengian language of Chile, means "a shared look of desire or longing between parties who are both interested, but neither is willing to make the first move." That could describe most of the kids at every high school dance I ever attended.
Go read the whole list.
Tags: language
For example, tingo, a word in the Pascuense language of Easter Island that means "borrowing things from a friend’s house, one by one, until he has nothing left". Perfect if Homer Simpson is your next-door neighbor.
Another good one is mamihlapinatapei, which, in the Fuengian language of Chile, means "a shared look of desire or longing between parties who are both interested, but neither is willing to make the first move." That could describe most of the kids at every high school dance I ever attended.
Go read the whole list.
Tags: language
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