Favourite Words Thread poster: Paul Dixon
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Paul Dixon 
Brazil
Local time: 17:00
Portuguese to English
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I have just come across a very interesting article in Spanish:
http://www.fundeu.es/noticias-articulos-queretaro-la-palabra-mas-hermosa-del-espanol-6572.html
In a nutshell, it says that the most beautiful word in Spanish is "Querétaro", the name of a Mexican city which means "island of the blue salamanders" in some M... See more I have just come across a very interesting article in Spanish:
http://www.fundeu.es/noticias-articulos-queretaro-la-palabra-mas-hermosa-del-espanol-6572.html
In a nutshell, it says that the most beautiful word in Spanish is "Querétaro", the name of a Mexican city which means "island of the blue salamanders" in some Mexican language (which means that, strictly speaking, it is not a Spanish word but rather Aztec or something) - even so, it has been declared The Most Beautiful Word in Spanish as part of the commemorations of El Día Del Español.
So, my question is: do you have a favourite word in your language(s)? They could be favourites because of the sound, because of the usage or whatever.
Some of my favourites in English:
Eustachean (a tube of the ear) = sounds like Euston Station
Indeed = a quaintly British word that I always try to use in my translations
Albeit (similar to "even though") = an old-fashioned word that still has its place in English
Survene = a verb meaning "to come as an addition to sth"
Somewhat = a typically British word to moderate: "It's somewhat expensive"
Staycation = my favourite of the new words entering the language. It means "a vacation taken in your own country rather than abroad"
PAUL ▲ Collapse
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apk12
Germany
Local time: 22:00
English to German
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| My favorite ;) | Jun 20, 2011 |
Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänsmützenrandbandfransenfadendoppelknotenlösungsfindungssuchereignismitteilungsüberschriftsgroßbuchstabensetzfehler...
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Catherine Bielarz (X)
Local time: 22:00
English to French
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| My favourite | Jun 21, 2011 |
In English I love "flabbergasted", I just love the sound of it, so British.
I've been to Querétaro ! Though my Mexican friends probably have heard of this, I'll have to make sure that they know !
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Britt Laux
Local time: 22:00
German to Norwegian
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| My favourite word in German is | Jun 21, 2011 |
"Streuobstwiese"
because it is so very German, sounds good and describes something nice.
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Vera Schoen
Sweden
Local time: 22:00
Member (2008)
German to Swedish
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| My Swedish favourite | Jun 21, 2011 |
One of my favourites is vattenpuss (puddle).
It litterally means "water-kiss" and I find it adorable
In German I really like Samtpfote (velvet paw [cat])
Happy translating!
Vera
[edited for typo]
[Edited at 2011-06-21 09:05 GMT]
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 22:00
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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I find this French word for peanut interesting.
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 22:00
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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Paul Dixon wrote:
Staycation = my favourite of the new words entering the language. It means "a vacation taken in your own country rather than abroad"
PAUL
Typical blending of two words into one, like infomercial.
You can build up an endless number of words like that, but it's not always pragmatical or aesthetically acceptable.
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| My German word | Jun 21, 2011 |
My favourite German word has always been "Zwetschgenkuchen". Sounds like rhythmical music to me, not to mention its meaning, a mouth-watering plum cake.
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serendipities and incandescence
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apk12
Germany
Local time: 22:00
English to German
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Rebekka Búadóttir
Switzerland
Local time: 22:00
English to Icelandic
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SITE LOCALIZER | The meatwagon | Jun 29, 2011 |
The word "Mietwagen" (rental car) always makes me giggle a little...
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| My favourite | Jun 29, 2011 |
English
Anyhow, nowhere
French
Sombre,achèvement
They sound like a music to my ear.
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Suzan Hamer
Netherlands
Local time: 22:00
English
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I've always thought "sycamore" one of the most beautiful words in English. Once, many moons ago, this little ditty popped into my mind: To be sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques" ("Are You Sleeping?": "Jacaranda, Jacaranda. Sycamore? Sycamore?
Mimosa maple poplar, Mimosa maple poplar. Birch beech birch, Birch, beech birch."
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