MEANING
A mythical potion said to ease sorrow and induce forgetfulness; figuratively, anything that brings relief from grief.
Use it for
Describe a sound, drink, or memory that briefly quiets grief.Give consolation a mythic, forgetfulness-inducing quality.
Words that belong together
- a draught of nepenthe
- nepenthe for grief
- nepenthe of forgetting
On the page
The song became a nepenthe for the mourners gathered beneath the eaves.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- nepenthe
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Usage notes
A rare literary noun from classical mythology; figurative use names a source of relief, not merely a distraction.
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