Etymograph

English

narco-

Narco- comes from Ancient Greek ναρκόω ‘I put to sleep’, and goes back to νάρκη ‘numbness, torpor’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνάρκη1nárkē‘numbness, torpor’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEναρκόω1narkóō‘I put to sleep’
  3. Englishtodaynarco-1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English narco-

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνάρκηWiktionary, English narco-nárkē‘numbness, torpor’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEναρκόωWiktionary, English narco-narkóō‘I put to sleep’
  3. Englishtodaynarco-Wiktionary, English narco-

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)nerk- ‘to loop, wind’

snare, snarl, 5 more

through Ancient Greek νάρκη ‘numbness, torpor’

narcissus, 5 more

Today it means

prefix Pertaining to stupor, sleep, or a state of unconsciousness.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “narco-”. 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 / Ancient Greek νάρκη / narco-

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