essa

variants: essunia, essia non-verbal variants: gesture and emoji –

‘contentment, triumph, joy, relaxation’. The word often appears in the context of winning, having fun, or talking with friends. It is also used to indicate that something went smoothly or had a happy ending. Phrases like “to have essa” or “to be on essa” convey a state of relaxation and well-being. This word probably evolved from the English word ‘easy,’ meaning ‘simple; comfortable, calm, free from worries’. It is often accompanied by a characteristic gesture: a raised thumb and little finger, with the other fingers bent. The meaning of “essa” as a “playful battle cry” from the 1990s was explained in an interview with Krzysztof Skonieczny by a rapper from Szczecin – Wini (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5fgbHbNFIY), who popularised this word in his songs. Stachursky and BBX also sang about “essa” (“ESSA, ESSA Mokka, Mokka ESSA, ESSA Oppa”), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHJZMulaPp4.

In the 1990s, the cry ‘essa’ was heard in clubs in Szczecin where young people were having fun to techno music.

In another meaning (but also as an exclamation), this word could already be heard in the film “Seksmisja”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ImYQ2wsOtI

See also: ESSA! About a possible candidate for the youth word of the year and its origins, https://goingapp.pl/more/essa-o-mozliwym-kandydacie-na-mlodziezowe-slowo-roku-i-jego-genezie/

Examples of usage:

1. Look, I have essa

https://www.tiktok.com/@szamaflagen/video/7123206614076640517?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7123206614076640517

2. We won! Essa!
3. I have finished the project. Essa!
4. And essa! /heard/ casual conversations, internet communicators/
5. I took the test and it was totally essa /heard/ – a fifth-grade student to a parent/
6. Nice, my level of essa is 10/10, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5fgbHbNFIY
7. A programme for Catholic youth, showing how the Church functions and creating a sense of community among young people /https://www.telemagazyn.pl/tv/essa-2850464/
8. [t-shirt with the inscription essa in online shop offers], e.g.:

Source: https://www.sinsay.com/pl/pl/koszulka-z-napisem-1530x-00x?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Ecom_PL_Si_Facebook_Con_03-23_Prices_GLOBAL_W&utm_content=PL_Si_Prices_carousel_V1&utm_id=6314461410336&fbclid=IwAR0ssmTRuTy6czO3LjQKYlgJigsxVCjliYkYf5f-K1YdoX53uKkftwaW1sI.