An Open Glossary of Words for Nature from Small Places
Every place has a word for the nature around it, that the rest of the world may not know.
A word for the heat. For the rain. For the furies of nature.
On World Environment Day, Nāgrika is building a glossary of such words from places across India.
Words that live in local languages and dialects, in the worlds of older people, words that may or may not have been written down.
If you have such a word that you grew up with, share it with us. 🌿
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A word from your language, your dialect, your grandmother's vocabulary — add it to the glossary.
Share your word →Names for Nature is an open glossary built by Nāgrika, a knowledge hub and resource center focused on small towns and cities in India.
Every language carries within it a way of seeing the world. Local words for weather, water, heat, and seasonal change encode centuries of observation and memory. Many of these words have no English equivalent — and many are disappearing.
This glossary is an attempt to collect and celebrate them. It is open, crowdsourced, and always growing. If you have a word from your language or dialect that names something in nature — something felt, observed, feared, or loved — we want to hear it.
This project is part of Nāgrika's Nagarpedia initiative.