Athanasia
/ˌæθəˈneɪziə/noun
An ancient Greek term for immortality or deathlessness.
Did you know?Athanasia comes from Greek mythology’s language of negation: the prefix a- means “without,” and thanatos means “death,” so the word literally names the state beyond dying.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰenh₁-
“to die”
Ancient Greek
Greek
θάνατος (thanatos)
“death”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀθανασία (athanasia)
“deathlessness, immortality”
Late Latin
Latin
athanasia
“immortality; in Christian usage, eternal life”
Modern English
English
athanasia
“immortality; deathlessness, especially in literary or philosophical use”
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