Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “narcolepsy” come from?

Narcolepsy comes from French narcolepsie, a modern coinage combining Greek nárk— meaning numbness or stupor with Greek lḗpsis meaning seizure or attack.

narcolepsy (English): A disorder characterized by sudden and...

Definitions

  1. A disorder characterized by sudden and...

Ancestry of “narcolepsy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchnarcolepsienarcolepsy
2Ancient GreekναρκόωI benumb
3Ancient Greek-όωAdded to a noun or adjective to make a verb with...
4Proto-Indo-European-oyétiCreates factitive verbs from adjectives
5Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
7Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iye →