Word Nerd: 5 cool words that you will enjoy using this season

Depending on your latitude and longitude, you’ve probably detected a change in the air. It could be the browning of leaves or the nightly scent of jasmine. It could be that wherever you go – it seems like you’re on the planet of pumpkins. They’re in coffees and soups and purees… On fields and porches and even t-shirts.

The signs can mean only one thing –autumn is here.

So, for this issue of Word Nerd, we are in a Keatsian mood dwelling on this “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.” So, we bring you these five autumnal words for you savour!

1. Susurrus: This is a literary favourite that means whisper or rustle. Autumn is a season of susurration – there is the whisper of winds and the rustle of leaves. This dry sibilance fills the air with mystery or romance – depending on how you feel.

2. Hibernaculum: For us humans, it’s the sweet spot between the weighted blanket and the mattress as the nights get colder. For the bear – it’s a cave, and for the mountain pygmy possum and the Columbian ground squirrel – it’s a burrow in the ground. So, a hibernaculum is where creatures seek comfort as the weather grows colder. In other words, it’s where they hibernate.

3. Autumnity: This refers to the period of life when a person has crossed from middle age to the senior years. The word is also used as an adjective. But this second use is outdated. We can just use autumnal instead.

4. Indian Summer: This is a period of warm weather or mild weather in late autumn before the freezing cold. It also means a happy period before the end of something (like the time after exams before the results).

5. Crackling: Well, this could mean the crispy skin of a duck, the crackling of leaves, the crackling weather, or the crackling bonfires. The word resonates endlessly in autumn. It’s just such a crackling season, isn’t it!

Do you have any favourite autumnal words? Email us or drop a comment below!