xoxonăno (01_Asaxi Nouns (List))
xoxonăno
Noun class (warm / cold)
Warm While inanimate by nature, these objects are classified as ‘warm’ (animate) due to the deep emotional connection and “personhood” projected onto them by the owner.
Pronunciation
IPA: /ɦoɦonaɪno/
Semantic field
Translations
- English: cherished object; sentimental item; a physical thing one cannot bear to part with; “don’t-go-thing”
- Polish: pamiątka sentymentalna; przedmiot głęboko osobisty; ‘nie-odchodź-rzecz’
Definition & Cultural Note
A physical object of such immense sentimental value that its loss is considered unbearable. In Asaxi culture, a xoxonăno is perceived as having witnessed the owner’s life—their joys and sorrows—effectively gaining a soul or personality through shared experience. Use of this word implies the object is almost a companion rather than a possession. To say an object is xoxonăno is to plead with existence that it never be lost.
Examples include: a childhood stuffed animal, a pen used to sign a life-changing document, or a lucky charm carried on every journey.
Example sentence
Sèwo sè wo xoxonăna ůshů ninå exenů maomă. Because I got rid of the things I love, I cry every night.
Alternative forms
- xoxonăno’ (Emphatic)
Etymology
xoxo (departure/to depart) + nă (prohibitive/don’t) + no (thing) Literally: “The don’t-depart-thing” or “The thing (I plea) not to leave”
Synonyms
- x
Antonyms
- fůcèno (a taken-for-granted thing)
- nono (noun) (an ordinary thing)
Derived terms
- xoxonănů (to cherish an object to the point of personification - verb)