vellichor

English

Etymology

Coined by American author and neologist John Koenig, creator of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, as a blend of vellum (“parchment”) and ichor. Compare petrichor.

Noun

vellichor (uncountable)

1. (neologism) The pensive nostalgia and temporality of used bookstores; the feeling evoked by the scent of old books or paper.
   • 2017, Ana Kimm, "The Bookstop", Ink Stains (Pechersk School International, Kiev, Ukraine), Summer 2017, page 86:

     It seemed that nobody else was in the shop, so I wandered around, both intimidated and entranced by the sense of vellichor as I traced my fingers along the leather spines of books beyond my time.

   • 2018, Sam Millar, The Bespoke Hitman:

     Bringing the drawing to his face, he closed his eyes, inhaling the paper's vellichor, the opium-like smell of yesteryear and childhood.

   • 2019, Brooke Santoyo, Hanakatoba‎^[1], page 36:

     I stepped inside to see rows and rows of old books and tables to sit at. The vellichor of the place hit me in the face like a cold harsh wind.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:vellichor.

Anagrams

• overchill