anodyne

anodyne
anodyne (adj.) 1540s, from M.L. anodynus "pain-removing, allaying pain," from L. anodynus "painless," from Gk. anodynos "free from pain," from an- "without" (see AN- (Cf. an-) (1)) + odyne "pain," a word perhaps from PIE root *ed- "to eat" (Cf. , from the same root, Lith. edЕѕioti "to devour, bite," edЕѕiotis "to suffer pain;" see EAT (Cf. eat)). In old slang, frequently a euphemism for "death;" e.g. anodyne necklace "hangman's noose."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • anodyne — 1 Anodyne, analgesic, anesthetic all denote something used to relieve or prevent pain, all are freely used both substantively and adjectivally, and all have a related noun, anodynia, analgesia, anesthesia, denoting the corresponding state.… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Anodyne — Album par Uncle Tupelo Sortie 5 octobre 1991 Enregistrement mai juin 1993 Cedar Creek studio, Austin Durée 43 min …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Anodyne — An o*dyne ([a^]n [ o]*d[imac]n), a. [L. anodynus, Gr. ? free from pain, stilling pain; an priv. + ? pain: cf. F. anodin.] Serving to assuage pain; soothing. [1913 Webster] The anodyne draught of oblivion. Burke. [1913 Webster] Note: The word [in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Anodyne — An o*dyne, n. [L. anodynon. See {Anodyne}, a.] Any medicine which allays pain, as an opiate or narcotic; anything that soothes disturbed feelings. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • anodyne — index beneficial, drug, medicinal, narcotic (adjective), narcotic (noun), remedial Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burt …   Law dictionary

  • anodyne — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ unlikely to cause offence or disagreement; bland. ► NOUN ▪ a painkilling drug or medicine. ORIGIN Greek an dunos painless …   English terms dictionary

  • anodyne — [an′ō dīn΄, an′ədīn΄] adj. [L anodynus < Gr anōdynos < an , without + odynē, pain] 1. relieving or lessening pain; soothing 2. lacking zest, vigor, etc.; bland; insipid n. anything that relieves pain or soothes anodynic [an΄ədin′ik] adj …   English World dictionary

  • Anodyne — An anodyne (Greek αν, loss, and οδυνη, pain: a cause which relieves pain) is a medicine that relieves or soothes pain by lessening the sensitivity of the brain or nervous system. Also called an analgesic (or colloquially a painkiller ).The term… …   Wikipedia

  • anodyne — an|o|dyne1 [ˈænədaın] adj formal [Date: 1500 1600; : Latin; Origin: anodynus, from Greek, from an without + odyne pain ] expressed in a way that is unlikely to offend anyone = ↑bland ▪ anodyne topics of conversation anodyne 2 anodyne2 n …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • anodyne — [[t]æ̱nədaɪn[/t]] ADJ GRADED (disapproval) If you describe something as anodyne, you are criticizing it because it has no strong characteristics and is not likely to excite, interest, or upset anyone. [FORMAL] Their quarterly meetings were… …   English dictionary

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