apricity
noun

- the warmth of the sun, especially in winter

- a feeling of warmth from the sun during cold weather

Oxford English Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

"Apricity" slipped into English around 1623, coined by lexicographer Henry Cockeram in his 'English Dictionarie' to capture the idea of sunny warmth. It derives straight from Latin apricitas ("sunny spot" or "basking warmth"), itself from apricus ("exposed to the sun," like a sun-warmed hill). The Latin root ties to aperire ("to open”), evoking how the sun "opens" the land to its rays.

Cockeram likely invented or revived it for poetic flair, as it echoed classical texts like Pliny's descriptions of sunlit villas. It popped up sporadically in 17th-century poetry—but faded by the 1800s, dismissed as "needlessly Latinate."

A 19th-century revival attempt in *Letters to Squire Pedant* (1856) called out its absence as a "want of apricity" in damp climates. Modern dictionaries like the OED revived it in 2016 for its evocative charm. It's a linguistic sunbeam—when it hits, it lingers.

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SUNLIGHT IN A COLD ROOM

The light comes in a different way in winter.
It seems more solid, less diffused,
And it stays longer.
The shadows are precise.
It is an artist's light, one can imagine
A painter catching the exact sharp edge
Of sun upon a table, or a chair,
Making an island of pure gold in the room.

It is a time for stillness.

The sun is not a sudden passion, but a steady love,
A gentle reassurance that the world
Still holds a light and warmth, though outwardly
The cold and dark seem absolute.

Elizabeth Jennings (1961)

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SYNONYMS

APRICITY, chill-breaker, gentle heat, glow, light’s touch, radiance, sun soak, sun’s caress, sun’s embrace, sun’s kiss, sun’s seep, sunbeam, sunniness, warmth, warm ray 

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“APRICITY is a wonderful word to capture the warmth of the sun on one’s face on a chilly day.”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D