schadenfreude / weltschmerz

[prettygoodword]

schadenfreude - n., satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

weltschmerz - n., sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of Romantic pessimism.


Both borrowed from German -- schadenfreude (SHAH-d'n-froi-duh) in 1895, where it comes from Schaden, damage (cognate of scathe) + Freude, joy (cognate of frolic), and weltschmerz (VELT-shměrts) around 1870, it having been coined in 1810 by that epitome of Romanticism Jean Paul Richter from Welt, world + Schmerz, pain. One dictionary defines weltschmerz as "sentimental pessimism," which just about nails it.

Ancient Greek had a word for schadenfreude: epikhairekakia. Why am I not surprised?

---L.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I think if all cultures were honest, they'd have a word like schadenfreude. But then again, there's something to the philosophy, "If we don't name it, maybe it will go away." Yeah, maaaaybe...

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

They'd also have a word for being pleased by another's good fortune, though.

---L.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Yes, we have our good moments, too :-)

[janni.livejournal.com]

A good pairing.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

But is it better than stenobathic/eurybathic?

---L.