16SEP2009

Anodyne (adjective)

Pronunciation: ['æ-nê-dIn]

Definition: Alleviating or reducing pain; soothing or comforting.

Usage: Today's word originated as an adjective, as in "anodyne words that calmed Delly's mind," but is used as a noun, as "aspirin is an anodyne for headaches." Remember the [y] in the suffix, not to be confused with the more common one, -ine.

Suggested Usage: Anything that soothes and heals wounds of any kind is anodyne, "There is nothing so anodyne as one of mama's apple pies after traveling for weeks and eating at diners and fast-food joints." Of course, be careful telling mama this if she doesn't subscribe to our series, since the word itself has a bit of a medicinal flavor. "A vacation in the Caribbean is just the anodyne I need after baby-sitting the niece and nephew for a week."

Etymology: Today's word originated in Greek anodynos "free from pain," based on an-"without" + odyne "pain." "Odyne" is related to English "eat;" both originate in Proto-Indo-European od-/ed- "bite." In Germanic languages the [d] became [t], which changed to [ss] in German (as in Wasser "water"), so we are not surprised to find essen "to eat" in German. German fressen "to feed, devour" also goes back to Proto-Germanic fra- "completely" + etan "to eat up," which we inherited as fret "to wear or be eaten away, to worry." Escarole? Of course, this word for a variety of endive comes from French which took it from Late Latin escariola "chicory," based on Latin esca "food (eats)" which comes from the root of edere "to eat" plus a suffix –ca.