Cat lovers have known it for years. You look at your cat or kittens face and just completely fawn over the cuteness. So much so that you want to smoosh the cuteness! Well finally the Oxford English Dictionary has caught up to us. They’ve settled on a word that covers this phenomena and officially added it to the history books.
Dictionary language is finally catching up with the times!
So what is this word that they decided on? It’s gigil, pronounced ˈɡɪɡ(ə)l/ = GIG-uhl. I know I giggle when I can’t handle cuteness so that seems perfect.
Baby Cole
And here’s what they have identified it as.
NOUN: An intense feeling caused by anger, eagerness, or the pleasure of seeing someone or something cute or adorable, typically physically manifested by the tight clenching of hands, gritting of the teeth, trembling of the body, or the pinching or squeezing of the person or thing causing this emotion.
*One of the examples of using it – “So much gigil for the cats at Greenbelt! 13 December in x.com (accessed 4 June 2024)”
ADJECTIVE: Of a person: overwhelmed by an intense feeling caused by anger, eagerness, or the pleasure of seeing someone or something cute or adorable.
Photo: Cole and Marmalade ~ Baby Marm 2 months old
The word comes from the Tagalog language.
Tagalog is an Austronesian language primarily spoken in the Philippines. It’s the native language of the Tagalog people, who make up a significant portion of the Philippine population. Tagalog is also the basis for Filipino, the national language of the Philippines. Tagalog has been influenced by Spanish, due to 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. Approximately 33% of Tagalog words have Spanish origins.
The Cute Aggression of Cat Love
Now most of us have known about this “battle” our whole lives. There are even social media pages with hilarious messages about this very thing!
And if you have not heard the metal song entitled “I wrote a metal song about my cat” by Anthony Vincent. Pretty sure it needs to be the official video noted in the Dictionary!
There’s no dictionary warning so practice carefully!
One of the most memorable moments from my own childhood is my mother telling me a story from my grandmothers childhood. Apparently she had been given a chick for Easter. Why? No clue. She wasn’t raised on a farm so that alone baffled me. But then my mom said that grandma had loved the cute fluffy chick so much….she squeezed it to death! Hello childhood trauma. I understand now, but my goodness. So please let my families’ horror story be a warning to all! For the safety of the ‘gigilly’ inspiration out there…
PRACTICE GIGIL RESPONSIBLY!
