"Weltschmertz \Welt"schmertz`\, n. [G., fr. welt world + schmertz pain]: Sorrow or sadness over the present or future evils or woes of the world in general; sentimental pessimism."



Canada's top speller Finola Hackett fell just short of taking home the crown and $42,000 US in prizes at the Scripps National Spelling Bee after her chances were felled by the German word "weltschmerz" after 19 rounds.

I hope the kid's taking it ok, I misspell my own name occasionally, much less some obscure adoption of a german word for an abstract philosophical state .