mamihlapinatapei, koshatnik, ghiqq, cigerci

note: lots of people have pointed out that many of these words are possibly rubbish, and that the man's no linguist, but wouldn't it be fun if these were real? "Koro" apparently is, at least.

A writer named Adam Jacot de Boinod has just published a compendium of idosyncratic words from various languages. The Independent presents us with a selection, my favourites of which include:

MAMIHLAPINATAPEI, Fuengian language, Chile
A shared look of longing between parties who are both interested yet neither is willing to make the first move.

KORO Japanese
The hysterical belief that one's penis is shrinking into one's body.

KOSHATNIK Russian
A dealer in stolen cats.

TINGO Pascuense language, Easter Island
Borrowing things from a friend's house, one by one, until he has nothing left.

CALACALA Tulu, India
The action of children wading through water as they play.

GHIQQ Persian
The sound made by a boiling kettle.

No Turkish on this list (though Persian is very well represented indeed) but Sepia Mutiny, where I first heard about the book, points out that Orhan Pamuk's pet word--hüzün--should surely be in there. As is, according to another review of the book, cigerci: a seller of liver and lungs. That doesn't seem to be a particularly weird word to me, though--the Turkish particle "ci" (sometimes also çi/cı/çı/cu/çu/cü/çü; it changes form depending on vowel harmony and consonant assimilation) is a marvelously productive thing known as the "occupational suffix." That is, you add it to the word for an thing, and you have a seller, maker, or practitioner of that thing. Ciger is lung or liver meat, and a cigerci is a vendor who sells certain types of dishes made from offal. Likewise, a simitçi is someone who sells sesame-seed bread rings (simit), a çikolatacı is someone who makes or sells chocolate, a hukukçu is a lawyer (a practioner of hukuk, law) and a gazeteci is a journalist--from gazete, newspaper.