ecogrief

Etymology

From eco- + grief.

ecogrief means A feeling of grief brought on by the destruction of the natural environment. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 95 out of 100.

Why this word is great

ECOGRIEF — [Noun] A profound sorrow brought on by the destruction of or acute damage to the natural environment. From the combining form eco- (short for ecology or ecological) + grief (deep sorrow). Unlike solastalgia, which homes in on the distress of watching one's own home landscape desolate, or eco-anxiety, which fixates on the gnawing dread of future catastrophe, ecogrief is the mourning for a present and tangible loss already suffered. It is the scent of damp ash after a wildfire, the sickly translucence of a bleached coral reef, and the specific weight of holding plastic-washed sand in your palm—the quiet, somatic recognition that a particular piece of the world is gone, and with it, a part of your own interior map.

noun

A feeling of grief brought on by the destruction of the natural environment.