I have a few favourites of my own, which I'll list a little further on. Some I've chosen based on there meaning, others on the way they sound when spoken aloud, and some based on a personal connection and familiarity with them. But firstly I researched what people consider to be the most beautiful words, to see what criteria people use when listing favourite words.
Perhaps Robert Beard's list of the 100 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language would be a reliable selection to choose from. He is in fact, the author of various Dictionaries, poems, and word lists; from which he's been writing for over the past 40 years. However, even then I find myself wondering what criteria he used to choose these words. Was it based on the meaning behind the word, or the way it sounded? Because the first word on his list - Ailurophile, a cat lover, doesn't sound like a word that was chosen on the basis of meaning. However, that is unless he's a big fan of cats? Cats aside, in this case, I'll assume he was choosing based on the way the words sound when spoken aloud.
In Berlin, Germany, a competition entitled; The Most Beautiful ABC of the World was held and the first prize was selected by a jury from around 2500 words around the world that were deemed to be beautiful. The Turkish word "yakamoz" won first place. The word itself means; the reflection of the moon in water. It wasn't so much the sound of the word but rather it's meaning. It was selected because it expresses in one word, what can only be expressed in many words in other languages. To me, this is a word that deserves to make the cut.
Along with "yakamoz", are words that one doesn't hear often but have lovely, odd meanings, such as; peregrination – traveling from place to place by foot, petrichor – the way the earth smells when it rains after a dry spell, terpsichorean – a dancer, related to dancing, and tintinnabulation – the ringing of bells.
Then there are words that would be considered beautiful for the image that they evoke in your mind; such as tranquility, passion, smile, love, or eternity.
Most of the words that I've chosen as personal favourites are those that roll of the tongue, or sound nice when you speak them aloud. I can't really recall my own favourites so I chose ones that I liked throughout the lists that I read. So here they are; luscious, quintessential, plethora, serendipity, talisman, denouement, effervescent, lullaby, and elixir. For some reason I love the word elixir. It just sounds nice when you say it.
Anyhow, I want to know what you deem as beautiful words. Share your own opinion. What makes your list, and on what basis? Are the words you deem beautiful, based on their meaning, the way they sound, or a personal attachment to them? Let me know, give me a list. Maybe you're a fan of The 100 Funniest Words in the English Language, rather than the most beautiful? (:
For Robert Beard's list of The 100 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language, feel free to follow the link below; http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/100_most_beautiful_words.
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