Sitooterie – today’s Wacky Word Wednesday

Those who love to spend much of their time outside must dread the winter season. But you can rest assured that summer is drawing close. You’ll soon be able to picnic in the park, stargaze while lying in the grass or take a nap in your hammock once again. But whatever you choose to do, sometimes we need shelter to protect us from the scorching sun. We need a proper sitooterie.  Find out what it means on today’s Wacky Word Wednesday!

sitooterie [sit-oot-ery] -noun a place to sit out in, a summerhouse or gazebo.

Sitooterie is a Scottish colloquial term, which means a place to sit out in, a summerhouse or gazebo. It’s a combination of sit, oot (the Scottish pronunciation of out), and the noun ending –erie of French origin. If you have a small patio or a sheltered area outside your house, it can also be called a sitooterie. But some say that it also can mean a secluded corner where you can take your partner after a dance to share a kiss.

In 2000, sitooterie was applied to an art exhibition of summer houses in the historic landscaped gardens of Belsay House in Northumberland.  Twelve designers and architects were each given £10,000 or more than $16 thousand to reflect upon the meaning of a sitooterie and build a place for retreat and private reflection. British architect Thomas Heatherwick was one of the 12 designers and he created something that looks rather like a giant hedgehog called ‘the hairy house.’  Later on, he was commissioned to build the UK Pavilion at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, which he described as the “world’s largest ever hairy building.”

As usual, we’ve provided you with a few sentence examples:

• There’s a wooden sitooterie in the shape of an apple and a silver insect nestling among the plants. (Botanical)
• (I) will be having tea later today at Christine Crow and John Anson’s sitooterie. (Jane Yolen)

Are you inspired to build your own? Feel free to share your ideas below!

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