All of us at Ethos are naturalists; lovers of the outdoors, tree-huggers, moon-obsessives, water-babies, entangled within the world around us like roots embedded into the earth. Many of us are also writers; lovers of words, ink-stained, page-breathing, imagineers, entangled within the worlds we create like cosmic ropes wrapped around the stars.
For those, like me, who are both, I’ve combined the two – nature and words – and discovered a selection of beautiful words that are derived from aspects of nature.
Published:
09.01.2025
Writer:
Emily Wilcox
Petrichor (noun)
The smell of rain
The word is an amalgamation of the Greek words “petra” meaning stone and “ichor”, which in Greek mythology refers to the golden fluid that flows through the veins of the immortals (ichor also means “a watery discharge from a wound”, but we won’t talk about that).
Moonglade (noun)
The bright reflection of moonlight on a body of water
This poetic term, born from both “moon” and “glade”, is exactly what you’re imagining. The spread of moonlight along a watery glade. And not a moon-themed brand of air freshener.
Spoondrift (noun)
Spray blown from waves during a gale at sea
A less common but arguably more beautiful variant of “spindrift”, except this ocean spray has been meticulously divvied out by measuring spoons (maybe).
Whiffle (noun, verb)
A slight movement of air, or the sound of such a movement
To make a soft sound, like that of breathing or a gentle wind. Used to describe both wind motion and a gusty snore, whiffle is onomatopoeic, in that the word itself sounds like the act.
Williwaw (noun)
A sudden violent gust of cold land air, common along mountainous coasts of high latitudes
Meteorologically speaking, williwaw is a term to describe an angry outburst of katabatic wind (wind that blows down a slope due to gravity), however it can also be used to describe a violent commotion; a williwaw in Sainsburys when somebody jumps the queue.
Alpenglow (noun)
A reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains
The word “alpen” is German for “the Alps”, and so alpenglow literally translates as “Alps glow”. However, this phenomena is not limited to only the Alps, but all mountainous peaks encased in twilight skies around the globe. But has nothing to do with luminescent muesli.
Apricity (noun, verb)
The light or warmth of the Sun. To bask in the sun is to apricate
Sadly, this word is now obsolete. First and seemingly only recorded in the early 1600s – it’s time we slotted it back into our vocabulary, allowing apricity to bask in its own light once more.
Primaveral (adjective)
Of, in, or pertaining to the early springtime
Deriving from the Italian word “primavera” (that’s right, like the pasta dish), which means “in the style of springtime”. Anything deemed primaveral has an innate spring-ish quality, essence or style to it. Even pasta.
