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nepenthe

[ni-pen-thee]
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noun
  1. a drug or drink, or the plant yielding it, mentioned by ancient writers as having the power to bring forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble.
  2. anything inducing a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness, especially of sorrow or trouble.
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Origin of nepenthe

1590–1600; < Latin nēpenthes < Greek nēpenthés herb for soothing, noun use of neuter of nēpenthḗs sorrowless, equivalent to nē- not + pénth(os) sorrow + -ēs adj. suffix
Related formsne·pen·the·an, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nepenthe

Historical Examples

  • Perhaps it was a berry of the nepenthe, which brought oblivion.

    The Works of Theophile Gautier, Volume 5

    Theophile Gautier

  • This particular preparation of valerian is nepenthe for the nerves.

  • In the Odyssey, in connection with Helen, mention is made of nepenthe.

  • Crown us with asphodel flowers, that are wet with the dews of nepenthe.

  • I am getting restless again, and there flow the waters of Nepenthe.

    The Call of the Town

    John Alexander Hammerton

British Dictionary definitions for nepenthe

nepenthe

noun
  1. a drug, or the plant providing it, that ancient writers referred to as a means of forgetting grief or trouble
  2. anything that produces sleep, forgetfulness, or pleasurable dreaminess
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Derived Formsnepenthean, adjective

Word Origin

C16: via Latin from Greek nēpenthes sedative made from a herb, from nē- not + penthos grief
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nepenthe

n.

1570s, nepenthes, from Greek nepenthes, from ne- "no, not" (see un-) + penthos "pain, grief," from PIE *kwent(h)- "to suffer" (see pathos). A drug of Egypt mentioned in the "Odyssey" as capable of banishing grief or trouble from the mind. The -s is a proper part of the word, but likely was mistaken in English as a plural affix and dropped.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper