morbidezza
/ˌmɔː(ɹ)bɪˈdɛtsə/
morbidezza · noun — softness, smoothness; also in a negative sense, weakness, effeminacy.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
morbidezza is pronounced /ˌmɔː(ɹ)bɪˈdɛtsə/.
Why “morbidezza” is a great word
An extreme delicacy and softness, particularly in the depiction of flesh tones in painting or in the quality of a voice. From Italian morbidezza (softness, smoothness), from morbido (soft, smooth), from Latin morbidus (diseased, sickly), from morbus (disease); first attested in English between 1615 and 1625. Unlike rigidity, which implies a stiff, unyielding hardness, or crudeness, which suggests a rough, harsh finish, morbidezza is a pliant, yielding softness, a refined and subtle delicacy. It is the painter's illusion of a wrist-vein pulsing just beneath translucent skin, the singer's breath that carries a note like a held tear, and the way certain silks seem to possess temperature and pulse—a beauty so tender it verges on infirmity, the beautiful made slightly fragile by its own tenderness.
❧ Written by Lexicurio’s AI
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian morbidezza.
noun
- Softness, smoothness; also in a negative sense, weakness, effeminacy.
- A naturalistic delicacy in flesh tones.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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