1. a drug or potion believed to cause forgetfulness of pain or sorrow
Usage: often capitalized when referring to the mythological substance from Homer's Odyssey; literary or formal usage
2. anything that soothes pain, grief, or distress
Usage: figurative use; literary

Examples

• The ancient Greeks believed nepenthe could erase memories of suffering.
• She sought nepenthe in music after her loss.
• The novel portrays alcohol as a false nepenthe for the protagonist's despair.
• In Homer's Odyssey, nepenthe is offered to Helen to ease her sorrow.
• Travel became his nepenthe, allowing him to escape his troubles temporarily.