Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nausea” come from?

Nausea comes from Middle English nausea, from Latin nausea, from Ancient Greek ναυσία, ultimately derived from Ancient Greek ναῦς meaning ship, reflecting the seasickness originally denoted by the term.

nausea (English): A feeling of illness or discomfort in the...

Definitions

  1. A feeling of illness or discomfort in the...

Ancestry of “nausea”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnausea—
2Latinnauseanausea; seasickness; second-person singular...
3Ancient Greekναυσίαnausea, seasickness
4Ancient Greekναῦςa ship
5Proto-Indo-Europeannéh₂usboat
6Proto-Indo-European(s)neh₂-to swim; to float

Words derived from “nausea”

  • antinausea
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₂- →