Love the rain? There's a word for that. Learn these 10 obscure nature words on Earth Day
April is Earth Month, marking the annual Earth Day on April 22. There's no better way to honor this occasion than by immersing oneself in nature.
If you've ever inhaled the refreshing scent of the first rain as it falls onto Earth, you've encountered the fragrance of petrichor. The scent is a blend of volatile plant oils and the organic compound geosmin, which is released from the soil into the air, along with ozone carried by downdrafts.
Similarly, if you've strolled through a forest during daylight, you've likely witnessed komorebi, a Japanese term that roughly translates as “the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through tree."
Here are some additional natural phenomena you may have encountered but lacked the vocabulary to articulate.
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Gökotta
If you've ever awakened to the melodious chirping of birds in the early morning, you've experienced gökotta, a Swedish term that signifies "a dawn picnic to hear the first bird song."
Serein
Have you ever experienced a gentle, almost dew-like rainfall after sunset, even when the sky appears clear with no clouds in sight? That's serein — and it's a familiar feeling in the tropics.
Moonglade
As you sit by a lake or pond, you might notice your body illuminated by the bright reflection of moonlight on the water's surface — a phenomenon referred to as moonglade.
Dendrophile
A person who often finds themselves among the forest might be a dendrophile, defined as "a person who loves trees."
Apricity
Few sensations compare to apricity, the comforting warmth of the sun during winter.
Psithurism
If you've ever sat outdoors on a serene day and enjoyed the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze, you're acquainted with psithurism, which is the sound of leaves rustling.
Pluviophile
Enjoying the sounds, sights and smells of rainfall is someone who may consider themselves a pluviophile.
Frondescence
In early spring, many trees and plants are still undergoing frondescence, the process during which they put forth their earliest leaves.
Apricate
A similar term already exists; to bask in the warmth of the sun is to apricate, akin to the word apricity.
Got a widely unknown word that you like? Whether it's related to nature or something else, please share your favorite obscure word with baddison@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Earth Day 2024: 10 nature words you probably didn't know existed