Standard Lemma guide

vellichor

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈvɛl.əˌkɔː/
  • General-American: /ˈvɛl.əˌkɔɹ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The pensive nostalgia and temporality of used bookstores; the feeling evoked by the scent of old books or paper.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: neologism, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Coined by American author and neologist John Koenig in 2013, creator of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, as a blend of vellum (“parchment”) and ichor. Compare petrichor.