weltschmerz - 4 dictionary results
Welt⋅schmerz
[velt-shmerts] 
–noun German.
| sorrow that one feels and accepts as one's necessary portion in life; sentimental pessimism. |
Also, weltschmerz.
Origin:
lit., world-pain
lit., world-pain
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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| Welt·schmerz
(vělt'shměrts') Pronunciation Key
n. Sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of romantic pessimism. [German : Welt, world; see Weltanschauung + Schmerz, pain (from Middle High German smërze, from Old High German smerzo).] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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weltschmerz
"pessimism about life," 1875, from Ger. Weltschmerz, coined 1810 by Jean Paul Richter, from Welt "world" + Schmerz "pain." Popularized in Ger. by Heine.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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| weltschmerz | |
noun | |
| sadness on thinking about the evils of the world [syn: world-weariness] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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