English
anemoia
Anemoia comes from Ancient Greek ἄνεμος ‘wind’, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁mos ‘breath’, and ultimately from *h₂enh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-‘breathe’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mos‘breath’reconstructednominal derivative of *h₂enh₁-
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*ánemos‘wind’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄνεμοςánemos‘wind’
- Englishearliest quotation 2015anemoia
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁-‘breathe’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂enh₁mos‘breath’reconstructednominal derivative of *h₂enh₁-
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*ánemos‘wind’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄνεμοςánemos‘wind’
- Englishearliest quotation 2015anemoia
Earliest quotation: 2015, Robert Trussell, Awash in nostalgia: “Yet, from reboots to genre revivals, nostalgia remains a…”
The story
Coined by American author and neologist John Koenig in 2012, whose project, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, aims to come up with new words for emotions that currently lack words.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- ‘breathe’
and, asthma, unanimously, inhale, anima, exhalation, prana, onde, 18 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁mos ‘breath’
animal, anime, unanimous, animate, animosity, animator, animus, 13 more
Today it means
noun Nostalgia for a time or a place one has never known.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- / anemoia