These Are a Few of My Favorite Words, Part II

I can’t believe it’s been almost five years ago that I wrote a blog post titled “These Are a Few of My Favorite Words.”  I’d say it’s about time I add a few more words to my list!

My thought was inspired this morning when Steve read me a poem titled, “Aubade in Autumn,” by Peter Everwine. I realized I hadn’t heard the word “aubade” before. At first, I thought it might be someone’s name, but then I looked it up and found it’s a noun:

aubade
1. a piece sung or played outdoors at dawn, usually as a compliment to someone.

Isn’t that a lovely word?

The poem includes another favorite word of mine, “autumn.” Usually, I’d rather use the word “autumn” than “fall” in my writing. Maybe it’s because “autumn” is more poetic than “fall.” Or, perhaps the double entendre of the word “fall” makes me sad, especially when autumn is used as a metaphor for the later season of life. Or maybe it’s simply that the mix of letters in “autumn” is so much prettier than the rather dull F-A-L-L. All I know is, I like “autumn” better.

The same with the use of the word “sea” as opposed to “ocean.” Unless I need a two syllable word (as in attaining the proper syllable count in a haiku,) I’ll almost always incorporate the word “sea” rather than “ocean” in my writing:

she stares at the sea
hope washed away with each wave
she should have been there

And speaking of “aubade,” here’s another favorite of mine:

idyll
1. a poem or prose composition, usually describing pastoral scenes or events or any charmingly simple episode, appealing incident, or the like.

So here’s my new “Favorite Words” list:

azure
bloviate
sour
meander
crepuscular
aubade
autumn
sea
idyll

What are some of your favorite words?