Some words are just… sumptuous. They have character, pizzazz. They just work right.

I first became conscious of the power of a great word when I read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konisburg. I was in third or fourth grade then, and was fascinated by a conversation in which Claudia, the older sister, talks about thinking of “soft” words as she falls asleep (I remember “hush” being one of them). The idea that the sounds of the words themselves could have meaning above and beyond that of the word definition was mind-opening.

Since then, I’ve also learned to love the shape and appearance of certain words and letters. A word is a whole package of meaning, from its letters to its shape to its sound to its definition. (If you’re a synesthete — I’m not — then think of the word’s color, too.)

Today’s word: quesadilla.

In Hebrew, the meanings of the shapes, names and sounds of the letters of the alphabet are inherent to the teachings of the Torah. The combinations of letters that form words have meaning, too, as they combine the letter meanings to create the fundamental essence of the word’s definition. Thus, words with similar letters have subtle but significant connections in meaning, even when they do not stem from the same root word. You might call it a semantic web of the essence of the universe.

Do you have words you enjoy? I’d like to hear which.