Etymograph

English

anodyne

Anodyne comes from Medieval Latin anōdynos ‘stilling or relieving pain’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- ‘to eat’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ed-1‘to eat’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*Hed-ún-eh₂1‘pain’uncertain
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὀδύνη2odúnē‘pain’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνώδυνος2anṓdunos‘free from pain’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500anōdynos2‘stilling or relieving pain’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500anodine2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1847anodyne2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ὀδύνη, which cites Beekes
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English anodyne
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1847, Littell's Living Age: “Many a time has the vapor of ether been…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ed-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ὀδύνη, which cites Beekes‘to eat’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*Hed-ún-eh₂Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ὀδύνη, which cites Beekes‘pain’uncertain
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὀδύνηWiktionary, English anodyneodúnē‘pain’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνώδυνοςWiktionary, English anodyneanṓdunos‘free from pain’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500anōdynosWiktionary, English anodyne‘stilling or relieving pain’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500anodineWiktionary, English anodyne
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1847anodyneWiktionary, English anodyne. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1847, Littell's Living Age: “Many a time has the vapor of ether been…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- ‘to eat’

eat, et, anna, obesity, edible, ana, ent, fret, etch, phage, esca, 21 more

Today it means

adj Capable of soothing or eliminating pain.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “anodyne”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek ὀδύνη. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- / anodyne

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