Gemütlichkeit
Noun
- Geniality; friendliness.
Example Sentences
“The little café had such a sense of gemütlichkeit that we stayed for hours.”
“I created a sense of gemütlichkeit in my little studio apartment with lots of framed photos and cozy pillows and fabrics.”
“Nothing brings me more gemütlichkeit than having hot chocolate with my friends by the fireplace.”
Word Origin
German, late 19th century
Why this word?
If you learned yesterday’s word of the day, “calque,” you know the difference between that term and a loanword. “Gemütlichkeit” is a loanword, meaning it’s an English word that retains the spelling and meaning from its original language. Loanwords might also have their pronunciation altered to match English phonetics over time, meaning “gemütlichkeit,” said by an English speaker, will sound quite different than from a native German speaker. This term stands for a sense of geniality and friendliness — a vibe so cozy that it deserved its own German word.
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