gezellig
/ɡəˈzɛlɪɡ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.05 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Learning to tolerate the continual close presence of other people is important for living in Holland. Taking gezellig pleasure in the presence of all these others is the Dutch way. […] Gezellig is the end which justifies social activity. Whatever is not gezellig is on its face unpleasant, and to be avoided."
- "But the square used to be better, it was very gezellig, when everybody […] sat outside […] always chatting, and it's still a bit like that, like how are you, neighbour, but it's not like in the past when they sat outside all evening."
- "King Willem-Alexander and to the people of the Netherlands, your hospitality has been remarkable, your organization has been flawless. […] I'm told there's a Dutch word that captures this spirit, which doesn't translate exactly into English. But let me say that my first visit to the Netherlands has been truly gezellig. (Laughter.)"
Etymology
Borrowed from Dutch gezellig, from Middle Dutch gesellich, from geselle (“companion”) + -ich (suffix forming adjectives). Geselle is derived from Old Dutch gisello, from Proto-Germanic *gasaljô (“companion; housemate”), from *ga- (“prefix denoting association or togetherness”) (from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”)) + *saljô (“companion; roommate”) (from *salją (“building; chamber, room”), from *salą (“dwelling, house; hall, (main) room”), or *saliz- (“dwelling, house; hall, room”), both from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“dwelling; human settlement, village”)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɡəˈzɛlɪɡ/
- British English: /ɡəˈzɛlɪɡ/
Inflected Forms
more gezellig (comparative)
most gezellig (superlative)