rubatosis

/ˌɹuːbɑˈtəʊ.sɪs/

Etymology

Presumably rubato + -osis. Coined by American author and neologist John Koenig in 2012 as part of his Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows project.

Why this word is great

RUBATOSIS — [Noun] The unsettling awareness of one's own heartbeat. Presumably from Italian rubato ("stolen, as in musical tempo") + -osis ("a state or condition"), coined by John Koenig in 2012. Unlike "palpitation" (which implies an abnormal rhythm) or "somatic vigilance" (which casts too wide a net), rubatosis is the quiet theft of your attention by the body's most basic metronome. It is lying awake in the dark, counting the thuds against the pillow; pressing two fingers to your wrist and feeling the alien pulse of a hidden machine; or sitting perfectly still in a silent room, suddenly aware that you are, against all logic, a thing that beats. The heart insists on being noticed—even when it has nothing urgent to say.

noun

  1. The unsettling awareness of one's own heartbeat“Amador rocked me slowly in that amniotic tranquility and I started to get sleepy. I could hear the unsettling rubatosis of my beating heart.”