nepenthe

[ ni-pen-thee ]
See synonyms for nepenthe on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of nepenthe

1
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

Other words from nepenthe

  • ne·pen·the·an, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nepenthe in a sentence

  • Others are surprising without qualification, like Nepenthes, which dangle a water jug at the tip of every leaf.

    The Woodlands Orchids | Frederick Boyle
  • He also found quantities of a pitcher plant, Nepenthes (which lives mainly on insects caught in its pitchers).

    The Romance of Plant Life | G. F. Scott Elliot
  • But certain insects have somehow managed to educate their larv to resist the gastric juices of Nepenthes.

    The Romance of Plant Life | G. F. Scott Elliot
  • But, in Nepenthes, there is also a distinct secretion which digests 345 the bodies of the drowning insects.

    The Romance of Plant Life | G. F. Scott Elliot
  • I am delighted to hear that you are at work on Nepenthes, and I hope that you will have good luck.

British Dictionary definitions for nepenthe

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

Origin of nepenthe

1
C16: via Latin from Greek nēpenthes sedative made from a herb, from nē- not + penthos grief

Derived forms of nepenthe

  • nepenthean, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012