nostalgia

Definition

A longing for home or familiar surroundings; homesickness.

Etymology

From New Latin nostalgia, coined by Johannes Hofer in 1688 from Ancient Greek νόστος (nóstos, “returning home”) + ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”), calquing German Heimweh. Ancient Greek *νοσταλγία (*nostalgía) is unattested. Transferred sense probably influenced by French nostalgie, especially in literature. Compare Italian nostalgia, Spanish nostalgia, Portuguese nostalgia and French nostalgie.

Example Sentences

• "Seeing food at camp similar to his mother's cooking sent a wave of nostalgia through him."
• "I have an idea that some men are born out of their due place. Accident has cast them amid certain surroundings, but they have always a nostalgia for a home they know not."
• "an alumnus' feelings of nostalgia for his/her years in high school"