anodyne
[an-uh-dahyn]
- a medicine that relieves or allays pain.
- anything that relieves distress or pain: The music was an anodyne to his grief.
- relieving pain.
- soothing to the mind or feelings.
Origin of anodyne
1535–45; < Latin anōdynus < Greek anṓdynos painless, equivalent to an- an-1 + ōdyn- (stem of odýnē pain, with lengthening of o) + -os adj. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
anodyne
- a drug that relieves pain; analgesic
- anything that alleviates mental distress
- capable of relieving pain or distress
Word Origin
C16: from Latin anōdynus, from Greek anōdunos painless, from an- + odunē pain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for anodynic
anodyne
adj.
1540s, from Medieval Latin anodynus "pain-removing, allaying pain," from Latin anodynus "painless," from Greek anodynos "free from pain," from an- "without" (see an- (1)) + odyne "pain," a word perhaps from PIE root *ed- "to eat" (cf., from the same root, Lithuanian edžioti "to devour, bite," edžiotis "to suffer pain;" see eat). In old slang, frequently a euphemism for "death;" e.g. anodyne necklace "hangman's noose."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
anodyne
(ăn′ə-dīn′)
- An agent that relieves pain.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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