Word of the Week: Habseligkeiten
In 2004, the Goethe Institute named Habseligkeiten as the most beautiful German word. It comes from the words haben (“to have”) and Seligkeit (a state of bliss, happiness or salvation). The woman who submitted the word for the competition, explains: "The word doesn’t signify ownership or wealth of a person. However, it does refer to his possessions and does it in a friendly and compassionate way. Typical for those with these kinds of possessions would be a six-year-old child who empties his pockets to take joy in what he has collected." It means more than any old items you have laying around, it refers to items to which there is emotion attached.
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