Any language is like a treasure coffer. There are rare hidden gems among the small coins, and you never know what you come upon next. While most of the time we use the same words to describe mundane things, there are linguistic curiosities that are so unique they could easily pass any plagiarism check. Let’s have a look at the most unusual words from different languages.

Mamihlapinatapai

In the Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego, mamihlapinatapai means “a look that without words is shared by two people who want to initiate something, but that neither will start” or “looking at each other hoping that the other will offer to do something which both parties desire but are unwilling to do.” The word is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as “the most succinct word” and is also named one of the hardest words to translate. We believe it is also one of the most plagiarism-proof words in the world–at the very least because hardly anyone dares to write it twice!

Also hard to plagiarize: The longest words in the English language

Zenzizenzizenzic

Believe it or not, this word belongs to English! Luckily, obsolete: it used to represent the eighth power of a number when the powers were written in words instead of superscript numbers as we do now.

Utepils

Imagine enjoying a chilled beer sitting outside on a sunny day. Norwegians have a special word for this blissful activity (or better say feeling?) Utepils literally means “outdoors lager.” A pleasant example of how not all of the rare words are technical or highly specific!

Tsudoku

Do you have a pile of books, patiently waiting for you to read them, while you constantly make it a next year’s resolution? Don’t worry, you are not alone in it! Japanese have even invented a word for this phenomenon, tsudoku: “acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in one’s home without reading them.” The term has been adopted in English as well, while Nassim Nicholas Taleb coined another word “antilibrary” meaning “a collection of books that are owned but have not yet been read.”

Check out these 7 Neologisms invented by famous writers

Petrichor

Remember that hard-to-describe but awesome-to-feel smell after the rain, especially when it has been dry for a long time? You may not know, but it is petrichor! An English term used to describe this earthy scent–a rare word, but pretty poetic one, isn’t it? 

Jayus

Do you know that feeling when the joke is told so poorly and unfunny that it’s even funny? Indonesians have a word for it, jayus–just for the cases when one can’t help but laugh!

Gluggavedur

Gluggaveður is a tricky word for a tricky kind of weather that looks appealing from the inside but is unpleasant to be outside in. The term comes from Iceland, so, we believe they do know something about capricious weather!

Psithurism

You’ve definitely heard psithurism even if you didn’t know that was it. The word stands for the sound of the wind whispering through the tree leaves or a whispering sound alike, and yes, it’s English! Merriam-Webster lists it among the most obscure and “pretty much useless” words that are still beautiful.

We encourage you to keep your writing bold and original. Use our plagiarism checker and AI detector–and don’t be afraid to stand out, just as these beautiful words do!