Just an interesting new word with an intriguing meaning that I encountered recently. I got this off of Merriam-Webster, interestingly Cambridge had no listing for it! I wonder, tsuwm, if you can get an OED on this, it might have a more in-depth etymology. It comes form the ancient Greeks, so Dr. Bill should have a special interest in this one.

Main Entry: ne·pen·the
Pronunciation: n&-'pen(t)-thE
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin nepenthes, from Greek nEpenthes, neuter of
nEpenthEs banishing pain and sorrow, from nE- not + penthos grief,
sorrow; akin to Greek pathos suffering -- more at NO, PATHOS
Date: 1580
1 : a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of pain or
sorrow
2 : something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering
- ne·pen·the·an /-thE-&n/ adjective