nepenthe
[ ni-pen-thee ]
/ nɪˈpɛn θi /
noun
a drug or drink, or the plant yielding it, mentioned by ancient writers as having the power to bring forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble.
anything inducing a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness, especially of sorrow or trouble.
RELATED WORDS
anesthetic, opium, painkiller, dope, sedative, opiate, tranquilizer, heroin, merchandise, junk, fix, hypnotic, soporific, stuff, analgesic, anodyne, downer, lenitive, laudanum, somnifacient
Nearby words
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 forms
ne·pen·the·an, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for nepenthe
British Dictionary definitions for nepenthe
nepenthe
/ (nɪˈpɛnθɪ) /
noun
a drug, or the plant providing it, that ancient writers referred to as a means of forgetting grief or trouble
anything that produces sleep, forgetfulness, or pleasurable dreaminess
Derived Forms
nepenthean, adjectiveWord Origin for nepenthe
C16: via Latin from Greek nēpenthes sedative made from a herb, from nē- not + penthos grief
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