Gemütlichkeit

''Gemütlichkeit'' () is a German-language word used to convey the idea of a state or feeling of warmth, friendliness, and good cheer. Other qualities encompassed by the term include cosiness, peace of mind, and a sense of belonging and well-being springing from social acceptance. The adjective "gemütlich" is translated as "cosy" so "Gemütlichkeit" could be simply translated as "cosiness."

History and etymology

"Gemütlichkeit" derives from ''gemütlich'', the adjective of ''Gemüt'', which means "heart, mind, temper, feeling" expressed by (and cognate with) English '' mood''. The German abstract noun ''Gemütlichkeit'' has been adopted into English. The current meaning of the word derives from its use in the Biedermeier period. By the second half of the 19th century, it also became associated with a set of traits supposedly unique to the Austrian culture.

The word can be used in descriptions of holidays. In the 1973 English contract law case ''Jarvis v Swans Tours Ltd'', a holidaymaker sued after not receiving the ''Gemütlichkeit'' promised by the promotional literature for a package holiday to the Swiss Alps.

The communal connotations of ''Gemütlichkeit'' are also emphasized in some uses of the term. For example, one academic described it as a tradition of "public festivity" (in the form of a "mixture of music, food, and drink"), which "promote community solidarity." The Harlem Renaissance was then cited as of how a sense of ''Gemütlichkeit'' arises from a "mix of music, art and politics in service of community consciousness".

''Gemütlichkeit'' has been appropriated at least once to describe the tenor of an economic era rather than spirit of a social gathering. In analyzing the "inflation dampening effects of globalization" a Georgia Southern University professor wrote that certain U.S. economic trends could "spell an end of the Gemütlichkeit — a situation in which cheap labor and money abroad as well as ever-increasing productivity at home had permitted an uninterrupted spell of controlled growth in overall prices".

Similar words in other languages

English has no direct translation for ''gemütlich'' or ''Gemütlichkeit''. ''Cosy'' captures an element of it but crucially lacks those of friendliness and belonging.

The English author G. K. Chesterton mentioned ''Gemütlichkeit'' in his 1906 book on ''Charles Dickens''. In the first half of the seventh chapter on "English comfort" he wrote that "... the thing you cannot see out of Germany is a German beer-garden", a venue which is the very epitome of ''Gemütlichkeit'' in that nation. Later, seeking to define what he regarded as a peculiarly English quality captured in the chapter title ''English comfort'', he continued, "The word ''comfort'' is not indeed the right word, it conveys too much of the slander of mere sense; the true word is ''cosiness'', a word not translatable." Indeed, it is no direct synonym for ''Gemütlichkeit''.

The Swedish language equivalent is ''gemytlig'', deriving directly from the German word and sharing its meaning.

The Danish also has ''gemytlig'' but uses '' hygge'' (hyggelig as an adjective) instead. In Norwegian the word is rendered "gemyttlig", but words such as "hyggelig" and " koselig" which means cosy, comfortable, nice, or pleasant, are analogues.

The Dutch equivalent ''gezelligheid'', derived from the adjective ''gezellig'', has broader social connotations than the German ''Gemütlichkeit'' and can be more accurately compared to the Danish term ''hygge''.

In Bulgarian, the word is commonly translated as ''уют'' and in Russian, which means cosiness, comfort, contentment, ease, and carries almost identical connotations to the German word.

The Romance languages with Latin roots do not have a single term expressing the many connotations of ''Gemütlichkeit''.

See also

*Quality time

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gemütlichkeit

German words and phrases
Words and phrases with no direct English translation
Pleasure
Mental states