Lethe
/ˈliːθiː/noun
In Greek myth, the river of forgetfulness in the underworld; by extension, oblivion or forgetfulness.
Did you know?In Greek religion and philosophy, drinking from Lethe symbolized the soul’s loss of memory before rebirth, making it one of antiquity’s most powerful images of oblivion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leth-
“to be hidden, unnoticed, or forgotten”
Ancient Greek
Greek
λήθη (lḗthē)
“forgetfulness, oblivion”
Classical Greek Myth
Greek
Λήθη (Lḗthē)
“the personified River of Forgetfulness in the underworld”
Late Latin
Latin
Lethe
“the mythic river of oblivion, borrowed from Greek”
Modern English
English
Lethe
“the river of forgetfulness in Greek myth; poetic oblivion or amnesia”