Word of the Day Archive
Monday October 11, 2010
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, esp. of sorrow or trouble.
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;/ Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"/Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."
-- Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven
For a man in whom love had always inspired delay, that nepenthe could not inspire decision.
-- Umberto Eco, William Weaver, The Island of the Day Before
Nepenthe is comprised of the Greek roots ne-, "not," and penthos, "grief."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for nepenthe
