The word "nepenthe" has Greek bits that literally mean "pain-negating." (It's related to other words about pain and feelings, like "pathos" and "pathetic.")

We read about nepenthe In Homer's Odyssey: it's a drug that eases your sorrows. Check it out, from Book 4:

"Then Helen, daughter of Zeus, took other counsel.
Straightway she cast into the wine of which they were drinking a drug
to quiet all pain and strife, and bring forgetfulness of every ill."

In English, we've used some form of the word "nepenthe" since the 1500s. When you want to strike a scholarly, literary tone, you can call something "nepenthe" if it makes you forget your troubles, like a strong drug. 

The adjective form is "nepenthean." Nepenthean things are the kind that make you feel better by helping you forget your troubles, as if you've taken a powerful drug.

Part of speech:

Adjective: "They passed around a nepenthean cup;" "Do you want yours strong, extra-strong, or nepenthean?"

Other forms: 

Just the noun, "nepenthe," or if you prefer, "nepenthes," which is still plural: "Amaretto is a nepenthes."

how to use it:

When you don't mind using an extremely rare and scholarly word, call something a nepenthe, or call it nepenthean, to emphasize its epic, nearly magical power to soothe emotional pain.

Because the characters in from Homer's poem drink their nepenthe, we typically stick with that metaphor. Below, for example, check out how Poe's speaker talks about "quaffing" (drinking) the nepenthe, and not, say, chewing it, or injecting it.

examples:

   "'Wretch,' I cried, 'thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee
    Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!'" 
   — Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven," 1845

"The so-called runner's high... refers to the nepenthean feeling that takes hold of the body during extended workouts."
   — Johannes Bruder, Design Struggles, 4 March 2021

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If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "nepenthean" without saying "sorrow-drowning" or "self-medicating."

try it out:

These days, I find that a hot shower is nepenthean. I go in stressed, I come out relaxed.

What's your nepenthe these days?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for June is "Happy Stories in Hidden Cities."

I'll give you a sentence from a happy news story, along with a long word that contains all the letters, in order, of the name of the city in which the story takes place. And you give me the city.

Here's an example:

"A puppy was excited to experience his first-ever snowfall on Friday, November 11, after a winter storm swept through the area." FARRAGO.

The answer here is "Fargo," the city where this story takes place. You can spot the name FARGO inside FARRAGO.

Try this last one today:

"[A local] arts, culture and language school has announced plans to plant a tree for every new student who arrives." FLUORESCENCE.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. A near opposite of NEPENTHEAN is

A. ROILING (making things worse).
B. PLACATING (making things calm).
C. OBVIATING (making things unnecessary).

2. Like you might expect, a plant known as Nepenthes gracilis resembles _____.

A. a spoon that you could eat with
B. a pitcher that you could sip from
C. a sponge that you could bathe with

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B Answer to the game question: This story takes place in Florence, whose name you can spot inside FLUORESCENCE.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.