anodyne
/ˈæn.ə.daɪn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.18 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Capable of soothing or eliminating pain.
noun
A source of relaxation or comfort.
Example Sentences
- "Many a time has the vapor of ether been inhaled for the relief of oppressed lungs; many a time has the sought relief been thus obtained; and just so many times has the discovery of the wonderful anodyne properties of this gas, as affecting all bodily suffering, been brushed past and overlooked."
- "The citrate is the most efficient as an alkali, but irritates some stomachs, the liquor the most anodyne, the acetate the most diuretic."
- "Classical music is rather anodyne."
- "Near-synonyms: harmless, neutral"
- "It all became so routine, so anodyne, so dull."
- "States typically like to stick to anodyne messages, like saving wildflowers or animals. But every so often a controversy crops up."
Etymology
From Middle English anodine, from Medieval Latin anōdynos (“stilling or relieving pain”), from Ancient Greek ἀνώδυνος (anṓdunos, “free from pain”), from ἀν- (an-, “without”) + ὀδύνη (odúnē, “pain”). Adjective sense “noncontentious” probably through French anodin (“harmless, trivial”), of same origin.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: anodine, anōdynos, ἀνώδυνος, anodin
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈæn.ə.daɪn/
- British English: /ˈæn.ə.daɪn/