Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "nausea" come from? It comes from Greek nautia, passing through Latin before entering English (1560s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "nausea" come from? It comes from Greek nautia, passing through Latin before entering English (1560s).
Nausea’s story begins in Greek: nautia meant “seasickness.” From 'naus', ship, the same root as 'nautical'. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as nausea. Extended to any queasiness. It reached English by 1560s as nausea. Also used for strong disgust. Today, nausea means a feeling of sickness with an urge to vomit.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient nautia "seasickness", from 'naus', ship, the same root as 'nautical'.
- Stage 2 · Latin · ancient nausea "seasickness", extended to any queasiness.
- Stage 3 · English · 1560s nausea "sick feeling", also used for strong disgust.