toska
Language: Russian · [tɐˈska] · Pronunciation: tuh-SKAH
More Russian words · More words for a feeling
Pronunciation: Tsca.bot · CC BY 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
Meaning
a vague, aching restlessness of the soul, longing for it knows not what
The story
Nabokov, translating Pushkin, gave up: no English word, he wrote, renders all the shades of toska, which runs from vague restlessness down to great spiritual anguish. The best candidate had to be imported too: ennui came over from French, and stayed.
The four rounds
- Which language is it from?
- Russian
- Which feeling does it carry?
- A dull ache with no cause
- Where would you hear it?
- A rain-streaked window on a Sunday
- What does it mean?
- A wistful ache of the soul
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