Ancient Greek ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”).

Ancient Greek ἄλγησις (álgēsis, “sense of pain”)
> Neuralgia, fibromyalgia,
ἀν- (an-, “without”) + ἄλγησις - without a sense of pain
New Latin analgesia
English analgesia

Non-mdical term
Painkiller
Which when you think about it is actually quite a violent and anthropomorphic concept!

I think AmE seems to use analgesic more in common speech (maybe they are just more used to taking pills) but in BrE it is purely a medical term. I am sure a lot of people wouldn't know what it means.


The Greeks being Greek had another word for pain
Ancient Greek ὀδύνη (odúnē, “pain”).
ἀνώδυνος (anṓdunos, “free from pain”), from ἀν- (an-, “without”) + ὀδύνη (odúnē, “pain”).
Medieval Latin anōdynos (“stilling or relieving pain”),
English anodyne

> Anadin?, sensodyne?

Which I always think of as meaning bring, bland, banal.
Lacking any spark of originality or spirit. An insult

But apparently comes to that though pain- relieving



Some traditional painkillers
- morphine
Borrowed from French morphine or German Morphin, from Ancient Greek Μορφεύς (Morpheús, “the god and personification of dreams”).

- laudanum
From New Latin, from Latin laudō (“I praise”), or ladanum (“a gum resin”), from Ancient Greek λάδανον (ládanon). Originally the same word as ladanum, labdanum, compare French laudanum, Italian laudano, ladano. See ladanum.

Used by Paracelsus to refer to ladanum gum, and to a compound recipe containing pearls, but apparently not to any preparation of opium; this modern sense was introduced by his followers (Sigerist 1941:540–1).

- aspirin
From the German trademark Aspirin, from acetylierte Spirsäure (literally “acetylated spiraeic acid”).

- paracetamol
Contraction of para-acetylaminophenol.