For today’s Weird Word Wednesday, let’s look at three words related to winter: Hibernal, apricity and brume. Here’s what www.merriam-webster says about these words:
hibernal
Pronunciation: [ hī-ˈbər-nᵊl ]
Part of speech: Adjective
Definition: Of, relating to, or occurring in winter.
Language origin: Greek and Latin
“Hibernal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hibernal. Accessed 10 Dec. 2021.
Pronunciation: [ uh-priss-i-tee ]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: The warmth of the sun in winter.
Language origin: Possibly English
www.merriam-webster says “Apricity appears to have entered our language in 1623, when Henry Cockeram recorded (or possibly invented) it for his dictionary The English Dictionary; or, An Interpreter of Hard English Words. Despite the fact that it is a delightful word for a delightful thing it never quite caught on and will not be found in any modern dictionary aside from the Oxford English Dictionary.”
Pronunciation: [ ˈbrüm ]
Part of speech: Noun
Definition: Mist or fog.
Language origin: French and Latin
“Brume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brume. Accessed 10 Dec. 2021.
P.S. As I write about these wintry words, the weather here in San Antonio, Texas, is sunny and 81 degrees with a zero chance of a white Christmas. Sigh.