Word of the Week: Hygge  

One of Oxford Dictionaries’ 2016 word of the year finalists was the Danish word Hygge. The word is defined as a “quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” There is no direct English translation, although the word cozy seems to come the closest to describing hygge. It derives from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga, meaning “to comfort” or “to console,” which is related to the English word “hug.” The word can be used as a noun, adjective, verb, or compound noun, giving it essentially endless applications.  

As the temperature drops, we are entering into the most hygge time of the year. In between classes, essays, labs, and never-ending readings, take some time to embrace your inner hygge by lighting a candle and curling up under a comfy blanket with a good book.  

Altman, A., Anthes, E., & Heller, N. (2016, December 18). The year of Hygge, the Danish obsession with getting Cozy. The New Yorker. Retrieved November 4, 2021, from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-year-of-hygge-the-danish-obsession-with-getting-cozy. 

 This Week at Falvey  

Monday, Nov. 8

Mindfulness Mondays / 1–1:30 p.m. / ZOOM / https://villanova.zoom.us/j/98337578849 

Wednesday, Nov. 10

Fall 2021 Falvey Forum Workshop Series: Mapping Demographic Data with Social Explorer / 12:30–1:30 p.m. / ZOOM / Register Here 

Friday, Nov. 12

The 2021 Grade Studies CLAS Research Symposium / 1–4 p.m. / Connelly Center Cinema / Free & Open to the Public 

Villanova Gaming Society Meeting / 2:30–4:30 p.m. / Speakers’ Corner / Free & Open to the Public 

Scholarship@Villanova Talk Featuring Bess Rowen, PhD, on “Impossible Things Happening Every Day: The Possibilities of Impossible Stage Directions” / 3–4:30 p.m. / Room 205 

This Week in History 

Nov. 10, 1969–Sesame Street Debuts 

On Nov. 10, 1969, Sesame Street made its broadcast debut before going on to teach many generations of kids about the alphabet and how to count (with Count von Count, of course!) Sesame Street ultimately became the most viewed children’s television program in the world, airing in more than 120 countries.  

Miss your childhood days of watching Sesame Street? Watch this fun clip to reminisce and find out what the letter of the day is: Sesame Street | Letter of the Day: S | PBS KIDS 

Want to learn more about the psychology behind Sesame Street? Read the chapter on Sesame Street in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point.  

“Sesame Street” Debuts. (2009, November 24). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sesame-street-debuts

Jenna Renaud is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library.