Meaning

  1. (countable, uncommon, uncountable) A longing for home or familiar surroundings; homesickness.
  2. (countable, uncountable) A bittersweet yearning for the things of the past.

Frequency

C2
Pronounced as (IPA)
/nɒˈstæld͡ʒə/
Etymology

In summary

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.

Notes

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