Bellanimous

I coined a word a few years ago. Yes I did!

You know what it's like. We sometimes meet people in the passing courses of our lives that we wish would stay, we wish to spend more time with, and we leave feeling warmed yet with a strange ache for more. For what reason, we try to put a finger on the weight of that magnetism. They may or may not have an attractive face, but you know it goes deeper; they are illustrated on the face with the beauty of their heart. The beautiful light of kindness and goodness gleams in their eyes, and when you look, you see a beautiful soul. They are bellanimous. And I want to be too.

It has roots with "magnanimous", but I think it is distinct enough to merit its own place in a vocabulary.

       Bellanimous: [bell-an-i-mous] adjective

1. Beautiful of soul or mind; marked by a gentle and quiet spirit; delighting the spirit; loving.

2. Dictated by bellanimity; exhibiting excellence of spirit or mind; having beautiful character qualities that give great satisfaction to the soul; honorable.

Origin: 2008  < Latin  bellanimous  beautiful-souled, equivalent to bell(us) beautiful + anim(us) spirit, soul, mind + -us ous.

Of course, a soul or mind is beautiful only in as much as it reflects the beauty of Christ who is the Source of all beauty! He alone can beautify our ugly sin-marred spirits, and clothe us with His own beautiful holiness. As He said in the Scriptures,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
     to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

If that is not beautiful, I confess I must not know the meaning of the word.

So. Add it to your vocabulary if you think it is a good word, and let me know what you think of my definitions. Feel free to help further define bellanimous.

Cheers!

A