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  1. nepenthe love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A drug mentioned in the Odyssey as a remedy for grief.
  2. n. Something that induces forgetfulness of sorrow or eases pain.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. Same as nepenthes. 1.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A drug used by the ancients to give relief from pain and sorrow; -- by some supposed to have been opium or hasheesh. Hence, anything soothing and comforting.

Etymologies

  1. Back-formation from nepenthes. (Wiktionary)
  2. Alteration of Latin nēpenthes, from Greek nēpenthes (pharmakon), grief-banishing (drug), nepenthe, neuter of nēpenthēs : nē-, not; see ne in Indo-European roots + penthos, grief; see kwent(h)- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

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Comments

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  • sionnach That's because you're always lolling about in the arms of Morphee. Or, as we Irish prefer to say, the arms of Murphy. Sep 30, 2011

  • ruzuzu Nevermore. I know not Lethe nor Nepenthe. Sep 30, 2011

  • milosrdenstvi Quaff, oh quaff. Sep 30, 2011

  • beautifulpyre A nepenthe is said to be a potion that soothes by causing a person to forget bad memories.

    I first came across it as the name of the main character in The Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip (love her!). Apr 30, 2009

  • chained_bear "...he was still so stupid that he might have been stuffed with poppy, mandrake and nepenthe, and it took him some moments to understand the steward's cry, 'Come on, sir, We'm sunk.'"
    --Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque, 242 Feb 29, 2008

  • npydyuan Oh, way to take all the fun out of getting wasted, rocks....
    ;-) Oct 10, 2007

  • rocksinmypockets Ah, but the relief that nepenthes tempts us with comes by way of forgetting. Thus, having no recollection of our prior woes, isn't it likely we will simply find our way right back to worry and pain? Oct 10, 2007

  • reesetee Think it's over-the-counter yet? ;-) Oct 5, 2007

  • orbitalcombustion From Odysseus, a substance or drug that relieves one of all worry and pain. Oct 5, 2007

  • orbitalcombustion From Odysseus, a substance or drug that relieves one of all worry and pain. Oct 5, 2007

  • brtom Not that Nepenthes which the wife of Thone,
    In Egypt gave to Jove-born Helena
    Is of such power to stir up joy as this ...

    Milton, Comus Dec 16, 2006

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‘nepenthe’ has been looked up 5042 times, loved by 27 people, added to 128 lists, commented on 11 times, and has a Scrabble score of 13.