Insomnia
/ɪnˈsɒm.ni.ə/noun
The persistent inability to sleep normally.
Did you know?Insomnia comes from Latin in- “not” + somnus “sleep,” and somnus is also the root behind words like somnolent and even the sleep-fate god Somnus.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swep-no-
“sleep”
Latin
Latin
somnus
“sleep”
Latin
Latin
insomnis
“sleepless, wakeful”
Middle French
Old French
insomnie
“sleeplessness”
Late Middle English
English
insomnie
“sleeplessness”
Modern English
English
insomnia
“the condition of being unable to sleep normally”
Explore more surprising origins