Word Of The Day: Saudade - Meaning, Usage And Examples

Have you ever found yourself missing a moment? It could be a person, a time when you laughed so hard your stomach hurt, or something once dear to you that you may have lost along the way. Some things are not simply lost but instead we carry them in quieter ways. A person, a place, a season of life, or even a version of ourselves that no longer exists can remain deeply present through memory. Missing something is one thing, but missing it with love, nostalgia, and ache is called saudade .

Saudade is a word that represents a deep emotional state of intense longing for someone or something that is absent. This word is a recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events that are often difficult to fully capture. Duarte Nunes Leão defines saudade as, "the memory of something with a desire for it".

Origin

This word is derived from Portuguese and is deeply rooted in Portuguese and Brazilian culture. It is commonly linked to the Latin word solitas or solitatem, meaning solitude or loneliness. The term is often expressed through music and literature. Originally, it was associated with the feeling of absence, the longing for someone or something that was no longer present. It became especially meaningful during Portugal’s Age of Discoveries, when sailors would leave home for long and uncertain voyages, often for years and families were left behind with love, distance, and no certainty of return.