An anodyne (Greek αν, loss, and οδυνη, pain: a cause which relieves pain) is a medicine that relieves or soothes pain by lessening the sensitivity of the brain or nervous system. Also called an analgesic (or colloquially a "painkiller").
This should not be confused with the French adjective anodin(e) which means harmless, innocuous, insignificant, or trivial. I made that comment because I am forever confusing them though why anyone else should do so I don't know.
When I saw the title, I thought "Oh, they have that word in English too!"
ReplyDeleteAnd then I read the post.
I stand corrected.