Etymology: A neologism for a not-so-new concept, umarell refers to an older man who spends his days inspecting the work in progress at construction sites. The word was coined in 2005 by Danilo Masotti, an Italian writer, and is a distortion of umarèl, meaning “old man” in Bolognese dialect. Since it describes what is traditionally a group phenomenon, it’s important to know that the correct plural is the Anglicized form umarells, not the standard Italian plural umarelli. This is to This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Nine Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 51 WORD: CRINGE A foray into the awkward. Arts & Culture Issue 50 Word: Dupe On the next best thing. Arts & Culture Issue 49 Word: Zeitgeber A new treatise on time. Arts & Culture Issue 48 Word: Kaloprosopia A word that celebrates the masks we wear. Arts & Culture Issue 47 Word: Döstädning A Swedish solution to the mess of death. Arts & Culture Issue 46 Word: Wintering When to withdraw from the world.