The 100 most beautiful words in English

What do you think are the most beautiful words in the English language? Does the definition include what they look like, how they sound, and what they mean? Well, someone more qualified than I am has made a list of the 100 most beautiful words in the English language. Robert Beard, long-time dictionary maker, poet, and word-of-the-day-writer, has created a list of what he thinks are the most beautiful-sounding words in the language. Their meaning may not be as pleasant (e.g. nemesis, woebegone), and some of them I hadn’t even heard of (e.g. propinquity (an inclination), imbrication (overlapping and forming a pattern)), but it’s an interesting read.

Here are some of my favourites:

diaphanous (filmy)
effervescent (bubbly)
inglenook (a cosy nook by the hearth)
mellifluous (sweet sounding)
murmurous (murmuring)
susurrous (whispering, hissing)
tintinnabulation (tinkling)

For the full list, have a look at alphaDictionary. What’s your favourite?