nepenthe

[ ni-pen-thee ]

noun

1. a drug or drink, or the plant yielding it, mentioned by ancient writers as having the power to bring forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble.
2. anything inducing a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness, especially of sorrow or trouble.

nepenthe

/ nɪˈpɛnθɪ /

noun

1. a drug, or the plant providing it, that ancient writers referred to as a means of forgetting grief or trouble
2. anything that produces sleep, forgetfulness, or pleasurable dreaminess

Derived Forms

• neˈpenthean, adjective

Other Words From

• ne·penthe·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nepenthe¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin nēpenthes, from Greek nēpenthés “herb for soothing,” noun use of neuter of nēpenthḗs “banishing pain,” equivalent to nē- “un-” (negative prefix) + pénth(os) “grief, pain, sorrow” + -ēs adjective suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of nepenthe¹

C16: via Latin from Greek nēpenthes sedative made from a herb, from nē- not + penthos grief

Example Sentences

And Nepenthe and the Henry Miller Memorial Library are just down the road.

From Los Angeles Times

And Nepenthe and the Henry Miller Memorial Library are just down the road.

From Los Angeles Times

Normally more than 1,000 visitors a day are taking in the view and having a meal at the popular roadside destination Nepenthe, according to its general manager, Kirk Gafill.

From Los Angeles Times

And in general, this chapter has some fascinating looks at droid culture, including a trip to a bar called the Resistor, where the robots sip on a refreshing lubricant named Nepenthé.

From New York Times

It turns out that this old faithful servant of Plazir-15’s blue bloods is actually a secret radical, plotting to disrupt the planet’s cushy lifestyle by infecting the droids’ Nepenthé with malicious nanobots, designed to restore the machines to their original warlike programming.

From New York Times

Related Words

• anesthetic
• dope
• hard drug
• heroin
• merchandise
• opiate
• opium
• painkiller
• sedative
• tranquilizer