126. Susurrus

This episode comes in like a whisper on the wind, and gets Emily and Kyle talking about the sonically pleasing and linguistically intriguing word susurrus.

Our hosts murmur about the word’s origins in Latin, as well as its satisfying sound as an onomatopoeia. Looking through the lens of some Roman poetry and English literature, they see how this word can describe all manner of noises, from rustling leaves to whispered gossip.

This word also brings about some discussions of repetition… Our hosts talk about some definitions that repeat, as well as some syllables and sounds. ASMR fans, this is the episode for you! (But if you hate ASMR, this is also an episode for you because we don’t actually do any.)