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Years ago, before electronics, the language of ships at sea required clear visibility and the easy grammar of forty or so flag-like symbols, a standardized version of which has come to be known as the International Code of Signals (ICS). Even with the advent of radio and satellite communications, military vessels use flag signals to maintain radio silence.

One of those concepts that has no real English equivalent, the word saudade means the presence of absence. It is a longing for someone or something that you remember fondly but know you can never experience again. It is an awareness of the absence of a person or thing, which puts you in a deep emotional state of sadness. The presence of absence grapples with those who should be here but aren't. It is a form of homesickness and deep yearning. According to history, the word saudade came into being in the 15th century when Portuguese ships sailed to Africa and Asia. A sorrow was felt for those who departed for long journeys, and too often disappeared in shipwrecks or died in battle. Those who stayed behind deeply suffered from their absence. The survivors had a constant feeling of something that was missing in their lives. The word is derived from the Latin plural solitates, meaning solitudes, but it is also influenced by the word salv, meaning safe.