Ancient word of the day: Apricity

Ginkaku-Ji temple gardens, Kyoto © Content Catnip 2018 www.contentcatnip.co

Apricity was a term originally coined by English lexicographer Henry Cockeram to denote the “the warmeness of the Sunne in Winter”. This photo I took during a particularly chilling end of autumn day in Japan in Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto. Note how the sun falls in cascades of enveloping warmth onto the golden tinged leaves. Apricity comes from the Latin aprīcāri, meaning ‘to bask in the sun’).

Ginkaku-Ji temple gardens, Kyoto © Content Catnip 2018 www.contentcatnip.co
Ginkaku-Ji temple gardens, Kyoto © Content Catnip 2018 http://www.contentcatnip.co

“These humicubrations, the nocturnal irorations, and the dankishness of the atmosphere, generated by a want of apricity, were extremely febrifacient.” Lorenzo Altisonant (aka Samuel Klinefelter Hoshour), Letters to Squire Pedant, 1856

Published by Content Catnip

Content Catnip is a quirky internet wunderkammer written by an Intergalactic Space Māori named Content Catnip. Join me as I meander through the quirky and curious aspects of history, indigenous spirituality, the natural world, animals, art, storytelling, books, philosophy, travel, Māori culture and loads more.

8 thoughts on “Ancient word of the day: Apricity

    1. Yes, depending on where in the world you are in April it may be freezing or getting a bit warmer. I thought of apricots with apricity, it sounds summery to me 🙂

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    1. Yes it’s such a great word isn’t it, just lovely to say out loud 🙂 Thank you for reading and for your comment 🙂

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