Nostalgia

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Dr. Goodword
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Nostalgia

Postby Dr. Goodword » Fri Jul 09, 2021 5:27 pm

• nostalgia •


Pronunciation: nê-stæl-jê • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, mass (no plural)

Meaning: 1. Sentimental longing or wistfulness for the past or things as they were in the past. 2. Homesickness.

Notes: Today's Good Word comes with a respectable family of derivatives. The adjective is nostalgic; it comes with an adverb, nostalgically. We even have a seldom used but still useful personal noun, nostalgist, for someone who constantly dwells on the past, usually preferring it to the present.

In Play: We suffer nostalgia for things we no longer have but wish we did: "I think today's cars are OK, but I must admit to a bit of nostalgia for mud flaps and fender skirts." We would probably all do better if we were as fascinated by the future as we are by the past: "Jason Ranebose felt a tugging nostalgia for those days of his youth in his parents' home, when they paid all his bills."

Word History: Today's Good Word was coined in 1668 by Johannes Hofer in his tract Dissertatio Medica de Nostalgia, oder Heimwehe. Hofer used the word to refer to homesickness, which he approached as a disease. Hofer's creation was what is called a 'calque' or 'loan translation'. He took the German word for "homesickness", today Heimweh, made up of heim "homewards" and Weh "pain", and translated each part with a Greek loan word: heim = nostos "homecoming" + Weh = algos "pain". The medical profession still uses algos as its term for "pain". We see it in such words as myalgia "muscle pain", neuralgia "nerve pain", gastralgia "tummy ache", cephalgia "headache", and analgesic "anti-pain (medicine)". (I'm sure none of us feel any nostalgia for the days before Jackie Strauss began suggesting wonderful Good Words like today's.)
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Slava
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Re: Nostalgia

Postby Slava » Fri Jul 09, 2021 6:01 pm

Let's not forget to put pygalgia in that list of pained words. Useful enough to have been treated twice here in the Dr.'s office. Here's the second.

And, while nostalgist may seldom see the light of day, its close cousin is often out there, conservative.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

David Myer
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Re: Nostalgia

Postby David Myer » Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:55 am

I know it's an old line, but of course, where better than here to use it:

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

LukeJavan8
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Re: Nostalgia

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:39 pm

:D Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

bnjtokyo
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Re: Nostalgia

Postby bnjtokyo » Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:14 pm

Thanks for the memories.
Here is an investigation of the quote that you might enjoy
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/07/0 ... ia-is-not/

As is often the case, the history cited here probably isn't how you remember it.

David Myer
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Re: Nostalgia

Postby David Myer » Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:30 pm

Once again, bnj, we are indebted to you. This time on two counts, once for the splendid investigation and dissertation on the origin of the expression, and secondly for the revelation of this important website.
I had not come across it before, and I do admire its scholarly approach.

Thanks


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