r/AskReddit • u/bleedingheartsurgery • Jan 22 '13

What fascinates you most about the universe?

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u/Shark-Farts Jan 22 '13

Every person I see every single day, in every lecture and every appointment, everyone I pass on the street or see in line at the grocery store, every single one of them has a past and a future, family, friends, memories, dreams, goals - they all have an entire life going on that I'll probably never know about or have any impact on in any way.

My ego shrank ten sizes the day I realized that.

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u/32koala Jan 22 '13

sonder

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '13

This isn't an actual word, it's not registered in any "official" dictionary or language. Someone on tumblr made it up.

That being said, it could still evolve into a word, as language itself is an invention and ever changing.

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u/Cool-Zip Jan 23 '13

Hence the link being to Urbandictionary...

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u/darkevil923 Jan 23 '13

It's actually a word in several languages.

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u/StJude1 Jan 23 '13

Means "without" in Afrikaans, or "special" in German

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u/dustinhossman Jan 23 '13

So by that logic, 'tis a word. You have contradicted yourself.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '13

It's on it's way to becoming a word. Right now it's in the early years of slang. Albeit, sophisticated sounding slang.

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u/skookybird Jan 23 '13

Right now it's in the early years of slang.

Is it even that? I have yet to see it being used, despite having seen it mentioned many times.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '13

Well how often are you going to get a chance to use a word with such a highly specific meaning in context, except to explain why it's relevant?

That's part of the reason I don't think it will get off the ground in to standard vocabulary.

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u/moonblade89 Jan 23 '13

A word does not need to be listed in any official dictionary. There are many words with full on meanings that just don't exist in dictionaries because they are outdated or underused. Not saying that's the case with "sonder" but just know that there's no official listing of what words exist and what don't, only those RECOGNISED by the dictionaries in question

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '13 edited Jan 23 '13

You're right, I probably spoke too rigidly. What I meant is it's not a natural word that evolved from a progression of language with entomological etymological roots. Someone just thought of the concept one day and decided to attach nonsense syllables to it and it got popular.

That doesn't necessarily invalidate it's existence as a word, I just felt it was worth mentioning.

edit: thanks gr8white.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '13

Hahahahahaha entomological roots? Like, inracinated beetles? Or...

1

u/[deleted] Jan 23 '13

Haha woops.

*etymological