Main Entry:

nos·tal·gia

Pronunciation:

\nä-ˈstal-jə, nə- also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin, from Greek nostos return home + New Latin -algia; akin to Greek neisthai to return, Old English genesan to survive, Sanskrit nasate he approaches

Date:

1729

1: the state of being homesick : homesickness2: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition ; also : something that evokes nostalgia

— nos·tal·gic \-jik\ adjective or noun

— nos·tal·gi·cal·ly \-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— nos·tal·gist \-jist\ noun