I originally started this with this sentence: “2 words that I experienced before I knew the word.” And then I realized that that is how all words are– experience predates our knowledge of language. But that does not undercut the joy with which naming experiences brings me. So, the 2 words.

petrichor: the smell associated with rain. (particularly rain on pavement.) I learned this from a guest while bartending. I wrote it on the back of a receipt and hung it by the computer.

semantic satiation: sensation of word temporarily being perceived as a sound through repetition.