ethereal

Like "serene," today's word has a connotation of weightless tranquility. They also both have textual forms that match this connotation. "Ethereal" leaves the mouth softly, without disturbing it; the lips barely need to move throughout the pronunciation, the tongue stealing past the teeth for but a moment. It is well-stocked with the long "e" sound, which keeps the consonants, all of which sound delicate and fluid, afloat but distant in a word that has a curiously symmetrical vowel/consonant arrangement. (VCCVCVVC) This alternating sound makes the word seem to delve in and out of some higher place. One thing "serene" lacks that "ethereal" possesses is a definition that includes otherworldliness. "Serene" is generally applicable wherever there is peace, but "ethereal" cannot be used so freely; it suggests the existence of some inscrutable realm, and bestows an almost magical quality to the described. The root word "ether" of course explains this, as one of its meanings is the heavens.

Postscript: The image of a kind of subtle movement between this world and another is facilitated by the fact that the word consists of the words "ether" and "real" slightly overlapping. (8/22/6)

Sidenote: Oh, what the hell, I did another word. In fact, I made it a marty weekend altogether - she suggested "ethereal" as well. This weekend's words balance neatly, I think, the dreamlike quality of today's neatly compensating for the abrupt pronunciation and unfriendly meanings of yesterday's.