English
narcissus
Narcissus comes from Ancient Greek νάρκισσος ‘daffodil, narcissus’, and goes back to νάρκη ‘numbness’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνάρκηnárkē‘numbness’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEνάρκισσοςnárkissos‘daffodil, narcissus’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnarcissus
- Englishearliest quotation 1697narcissus
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνάρκηnárkē‘numbness’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEνάρκισσοςnárkissos‘daffodil, narcissus’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnarcissus
- Englishearliest quotation 1697narcissus
Earliest quotation: 1697, Virgil, The Second Pastoral. Or, Alexis.: “The Daughters of the Flood have ſearch'd the Mead…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)nerk- ‘to loop, wind’
through Ancient Greek νάρκη ‘numbness’
Today it means
noun Any of several bulbous flowering plants, of the genus Narcissus, having white or yellow cup- or trumpet-shaped flowers, notably the daffodil
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek νάρκη / narcissus