Five Amazing Words In Other Languages With No Equals in English

Jeevan Sivasubramaniam Posted by Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, Managing Director, Editorial, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.



Foreign languages often contain phrases and words so rich in expression and meaning that it shames the English language to not have a counterpart.

Foreign languages often contain phrases and words so rich in expression and meaning that it shames the English language to not have a counterpart.

Here are just five such terms:

1. L'esprit de L'Escalier (French): Literally, "the spirit of the staircase." This phrase describes that feeling you get when you think of a brilliant and witty response to an insult you received earlier but now can do nothing about.

2. Tartle (Scottish): The act of recognizing a person whom you have previously met or been introduced to but can't recall their name.

3. Bilita Mpash (Bantu):  This denotes a good or happy dream. In English, we use the word nightmare to describe a bad dream but we have no single word for a good one.

4. Razbliuto (Russian): The mixed feelings that a person has for someone he or she once loved but no longer does.

5. Dohada (Sanskrit): The unusual food cravings of pregnant women. There is scientific research to support this term: the condition where pregnant women feel the need to consume dirt (called Pica) or chalk results from a lack of essential minerals in the diet.