Nepenthe
/nɪˈpɛnθi/noun
A drug or drink that makes one forget sorrow or pain.
Did you know?The word comes from Homer’s Greek idea of a potion that drives away grief, and for centuries writers used it as a literary shorthand for a magical forgetfulness drug.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
νηπενθής (nēpenthḗs)
“Grief-banishing; causing the forgetting of sorrow”
Classical Greek
Greek
νηπενθές φάρμακον (nēpenthès phármakon)
“A sorrow-banishing drug or potion”
Late 16th Century
English
nepenthe
“A drug or drink that banishes grief or sorrow”
Modern English
English
nepenthe
“Something that makes one forget sorrow or pain”