nepenthe | Word of the Day

September 03, 2018 nepenthe [ni-pen-thee] noun 1. anything inducing a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness, especially of sorrow or trouble. 2. a drug or drink, or the plant yielding it, mentioned by ancient writers as having the power to bring forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble. education 5 Language Development Sites Every Student Should Bookmark hobbies Remember These Fashion Fads (Or Were They Faux Pas)? WORD OF THE DAY nepenthe continued... QUOTES There must have been in him a remarkable capacity for forgetfulness; he might seem to have drunk every morning a nepenthe that drowned in oblivion all his yesterdays. -- Walter Noble Burns, The Saga of Billy the Kid, 1925 ORIGIN In Greek and English nepenthe and pathos are opposites. Greek nēpenthḗs is an adjective meaning "banishing pain, without sorrow." Nēpenthḗs breaks down to the (unusual) negative prefix nē- (ultimately from the same Proto-Indo-European source as English un-), the stem penth- of the noun pénthos "pain," and the adjective suffix -ḗs, -és. The Greek nouns pénthos and páthos "sensation, suffering" are derivatives of the complicated verb páschein, all three words showing variants of the Greek root penth-, ponth-, path- "to suffer, experience." Nepenthe entered English in the 16th century. MORE FOR YOU 1 The Wittiest Vegan Names For Animal-alternatives We know the word vegan came about in the 1800s, but what about the other terms that relate to veganism? Let's take a look at what vegans call their versions of animal products and where they came up with the names. Note: These may not be the most popular names for these vegan items, but they're definitely the most entertaining. 2 Words Parents Say That Make Our Eyes Roll Sad to say, but nine times out of ten, when parents open their mouths it's usually nothing but trouble. Sometimes our eyes roll. Other times we cringe. Whether we're 16 or 36, it's always the same. Parents are downright embarrassing. And, to add insult to injury, we've compiled a list of some of the words our parents say that we hate most. Love you guys! 3 The Dictionary Is Political We take a deep dive into the history and meaning of collusion. 4 Channel Your Forbearance For This Week's Quiz Daydreaming about plages? This Word of the Day Quiz is almost as enjoyable, we promise. 5 Coleslaw And Other Trending Words This Week Is coleslaw a salad? What's another way to say wedding? Both questions answered and more in this week's edition of trending words on Dictionary.com! © 2018 Dictionary.com, LLC. ABOUT CONTACT You are subscribed to the Word of the Day as: matzom229@gmail.com Subscriber since: September 06, 2017 Unsubscribe Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Manage your subscription Terms & Privacy