snuggery (2009-09-03)

Part of Speech: noun

Pronunciation: ['snêg-êr-ee]

Definition: (1) A snug place, a friendly nook to which someone might retreat or retire for seclusion and comfort; (2) a snug job position offering security without risk, a sinecure; (3) (Britain) a small room adjoining the bar in a pub.

Usage: A snuggery is basically a comfort blanket for adults: "Someone hurt his feelings so Justin Case crawled off into his snuggery to pout." However, this word is based on "snug" with the place suffix –ery ("winery," "bakery," "eatery"), so it may be applied to any snug place, including a job or position: "Felicia's job has become a little snuggery where no one bothers her and she bothers no one."

Suggested Usage: Today's word is a member of a fascinating family of comfort terms based on "snug," a word remindful of a mother's arms: close, trustworthy, secure. To find that snugness, we "snuggle," a verb that implies deep affection and complete trust. We all have or wish we had a place where we could occasionally retreat from 'the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,' as Hamlet put it—that would be our snuggery. Of course, if you have more than one, change the [y] to [ie] for the plural—"snuggeries."

Etymology: The word "snug" is related to the Swedish word snygg "neat, tidy, pretty" but little more is known about it. It might be related to "snail," which in Old English was "snaegel" and refers to an animal that carries its snuggery on its back. However, we have no evidence of such a link.