Weltschmerz, Indeed!

The Sauce emailed me Merriam Webster’s word of the day from October 22, and I thought it perfectly described how I often feel these days, as well as why I love the German language:

weltschmerz \VELT-shmairts\ noun, often capitalized

1 : a mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state
2 : a mood of sentimental sadness

Did you know?
The word "weltschmerz" initially came into being as a by-product of the Romanticism movement in Europe of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The poets of the Romantic era were a notably gloomy bunch, unwilling or unable to adjust to those realities of the world that they perceived as threatening their right to personal freedom.

"Weltschmerz," which was formed by combining the German words for "world" ("Welt") and "pain" ("Schmerz")….

Many people shit on German as a language, saying that, like unshaved snatch, it is not pretty or elegant. And like unshaved snatch, I love it because it is in your face. It is what it is; there’s no dicking around, trying to sound all fancy schmancy.

Although I admit that weltschmerz also makes me think of splooge. “Schmerz” is just a very gushy and gooey sounding word, isn’t it?