The word of the week: hygge

January 3, 2017 at 6:48PM

Definition: A Danish word meaning "a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being." (Oxford English Dictionary)

Sample usage: "I get such a feeling of hygge from knowing I'm the sort of person who knows what hygge is."

Popularity: You can expect to hear a lot about it in the months to come, as books and magazines will tell you how to achieve hygge. The problem: It's pronounced HOO-guh, which makes you sound like Mrs. Olson from the Folgers ads trying to sneeze as quietly as possible.

JAMES LILEKS

Heard a new word or phrase you want us to dissect? Let us know at word@startribune.com. See previous entries at startribune.com/word.

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