Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Word of the Week 3: Inexplicable

Inexplicable (adj) - not explicable; incapable of being accounted for or explained

I kind of like this word just as much as "delirious," but it's harder to pronounce. I always seem to get tangled up in it, so I don't use it as often. But it's still an intriguing word.

It's one I can relate to. Sometimes, words don't seem to have much flavor. We use them without really having a connection to the word itself. But this one, I can see its perspective. It stands for all those things that I instantly love, though I don't know why. A worn and broken doll in an antique store, a certain rock on the side of the path. Or the desert. Very inexplicable, on the outside, to love the desert. But then not so unlikely. The desert has such a strong presence that it demands a reaction. You can either love it or hate it. Since I live here, I've chosen to love it. And that's one thing I can't really call inexplicable. I think Arizona is beautiful. But that beauty itself is what's inexplicable. Why is a thorny plant under an oven-sun beautiful?

Just because it is. You can explain about admiring its strength or such, but why does that mean that it's beautiful? Feelings can be very inexplicable. They just are.

No comments:

Post a Comment