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nos·tal·gi·a

(nŏ-stăljə, nə-)

1. A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.

2. The condition of being homesick; homesickness.

[Greek nostos, a return home; see nes-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + -ALGIA.]

nos·talgic (-jĭk) adj.

nos·talgi·cal·ly adv.

nos·talgist n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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