We love language, and this series features words from various languages around the world that capture universal, but complicated, human emotions or situations. It’s fun and (gasp!) educational, too!

We welcome your contributions!

Today’s lesson, perfect for pondering over late-morning coffee:

Maya (Sanskrit, MAH-yah, noun)—the mistaken belief that a symbol is the same as the reality it represents

Source: They Have a Word for It, by Howard Rheingold.