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A.Word.A.Day--ananda

ananda (AH-nan-duh) noun

Pure bliss.

[From Sanskrit ananda (joy).]

Anandamide is the name given to a compound found in mammalian brains. It's the same compound that's found in chocolate. Now you know why chocolate gives you that feeling of bliss.

"In the emerald blue silence there is space for awareful existence of the fullness of ananda." Song of Silence; The Times of India (New Delhi, India); Aug 9, 2004.

"Then and there he (William A. Devane) decided that if his quest proved successful, he would name the elusive chemical after ananda." Marijuana And the Brain; Science News (Washington, DC); Feb 6, 1993.

This week's theme: words borrowed from other languages.

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