By: Benjamin Kinnear MD PhD, Grace Murphy MS4, Nicole Damari MD MS, Kate Jennings MD, Christine Zhou DO, Bi Awosika MD, Leslie Applegate MD, Danielle Clark MD MEd, Jackson Hearn MD, Matthew Kelleher MD MEd, Salima Sewani MD, Stephanie Thomas MD, Danielle Weber MD MEd, Eric Warm MD
In March 2025, we released our first excerpt from the Cincinnati Dictionary of Unspoken Moments in HPE. Using John Koenig’s Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows as inspiration (and with his permission), we began developing neologisms (i.e. new words) that describe moments, experiences, and concepts in medicine and HPE that do not yet have their own words. Our fledgling dictionary has more words than we could fit in a single post, and below we share another aliquot of entries for the 2025-26 academic year.
Our dictionary has grown from a shared document that serves as our linguistic canvas.
Often, we begin by writing 1-2 sentence descriptions of moments and experiences that feel meaningful, poignant, humorous, or widely-shared amongst health professionals or trainees. We usually write these in colloquial language as our thoughts spill onto the page. Sometimes the same person creates an accompanying word with clever etymology, and other times the sentences sit until another team member is struck with inspiration on a morphologically or etymologically creative neologism that fits the ideas.
The experience/moment/concept is rewritten to sound like an official dictionary entry, and other team members continue to edit and refine the item. Eventually, entries solidify like paint drying on a canvas.
The difference, however, is that our dictionary is never fully solidified. Much like official dictionaries, we continually return to and revise entries as our experiences and understanding of the world evolves.
As you can see, our process is collaborative and fluid, and we want to invite others to join the collaboration.
In a separate but related ICE blog post, we explored how language both reflects and creates our realities. These acts of reflection and creation involve choices by those who develop and use language; choices that are influenced by hierarchy, power, and privilege.
Such dynamics are well described by discourse analysts such as Norman Fairclough,1 and are often used to understand the power inherent to language and communication. For us (the authors), the Cincinnati Dictionary of Unspoken Moments in HPE is a mix of creativity, whimsy, and catharsis.
We do not want it to be an act of discursive gatekeeping. Recognizing the power inherent to language, we (the authors) want to invite you (the reader) to participate in shaping our dictionary.
If you want to contribute new words, or if you have experiences/concepts/moments in medicine or HPE that lack a term and you want our team to develop words and etymologies for such experiences, please email kinneabn@ucmail.uc.edu.
We would love to add your words and ideas to our dictionary with full credit to contributors. We would especially love ideas from people with identities, backgrounds, locations, or professions that are unique or underrepresented within HPE or medicine.
With that, below is the second set of entries from the Cincinnati Dictionary of Unspoken Moments. We hope you enjoy!
- Clintheria (klin-THAIR-ee-uh)n. The aching sense of urgency and helplessness when you deeply wish to help a patient but have reached the limits of your current knowledge or ability — as if the answer is just beyond the edge of what you can grasp.
Etymology: From Greek kliné (κλίνη) meaning “bed” or “recline,” a root for “clinic” or “patient’s bed” + theria, a modified form of Greek therapeia (θεραπεία), “healing” or “service.” - Mindure (MIN-dyoor) n. The feeling when a patient admission is called to you or urgent task arises 1 minute before your shift is over
Etymology: From Latin minuta meaning “minute” + indurare meaning “to harden” or “to make endure.” - Vocignophobia (voh-si-GNOH-FOH-bee-ə) n. The sudden surge of anxiety when calling a consultant, confident in your intimate knowledge of the patient, yet terrified that your gaps will be shamefully revealed when the consultant asks questions.
Etymology: From Latin vocare meaning “to call” + Greek gnōsis meaning “knowledge” + Greek phóbos meaning “fear” - Gastrolure (GAS-troh-lur) n. The feeling when you enter a patient care area without having eaten recently, and a patient’s food smells so amazing that you ponder taking just one bite
Etymology: From Greek gaster meaning “stomach” + allure meaning “temptation or attraction” - Loquexia (loh-KWEH-kzee-ah) n. The tension felt while wishing you could spend more time talking to a patient, but knowing you need to find a tactful way to exit so you can also see the others that await you.
Etymology: From Latin loquor meaning “to speak” + Latin exitus meaning “exit” - Unzeitweinen (un-ZAYT-wyn-en) n. The internal monologue of “oh crap oh crap this is a bad time to cry…stop crying!” when you are overwhelmed with emotion at an inopportune moment.
Etymology: From German unzeitig (untimely) + German weinen (weeping) - Idkafa (eyed-KAH-fuh) n. The feeling of frantically trying to figure out what a medical acronym stands for, often in the context of Socratic learning on rounds or when speaking with a consultant.
Etymology: Itself an acronym, it stands for “I don’t know any freaking acronyms” - Nocterium (nok-TEH-ree-um)n. The feeling when you enter the hospital in the dark and leave in the dark. The only things that exist are the hospital and the darkness. Most common in winter.
Etymology: From Latin noctis meaning “night” + Latin imperium meaning “realm” - Trabgar (TRAHB-gahr)v. Attempting to use your work badge to unlock your front door.
Etymology: From Spanish trabajo meaning “work” + hogar “home” + cambiar meaning “to switch”es.
References:
- Fairclough N. Critical discourse analysis. The Routledge handbook of discourse analysis: Routledge; 2013.
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