Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nepenthean” come from?

nepenthean (English) comes from English nepenthes, from Latin nēpenthes, from Ancient Greek νηπενθής, from Ancient Greek -ής, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess, from Proto-Indo-European -os — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

nepenthean (English): Bringing welcome forgetfulness or relief

Definitions

  1. Bringing welcome forgetfulness or relief

Ancestry of “nepenthean”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnepenthesA drug mentioned in Homer's "Odyssey" as...
2Latinnēpenthes—
3Ancient GreekνηπενθήςThat banishes pain and sorrow; nepenthean; Free...
4Ancient Greek-ήςadjective suffix
5Proto-Indo-European-ēsPrimarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds
6Proto-Indo-European-ess—
7Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →