English word origin

Etymology of lethe

From Latin Lēthē, from Ancient Greek Λήθη (Lḗthē, “forgetfulness”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Forgetfulness of the past; oblivion. · Dissimulation.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin Lēthē, from Ancient Greek Λήθη (Lḗthē, “forgetfulness”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionLēthēla
Cognate mentionΛήθηgrc · forgetfulness

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "Lēthē"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin Lēthē"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "Λήθη",
        "t": "forgetfulness"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Λήθη (Lḗthē, “forgetfulness”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Lēthē",
      "Lethe#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Λήθη",
      "Λήθη#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Forgetfulness of the past; oblivion.",
        "Dissimulation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6711943
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Death.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Possibly influenced by Latin lētum (“killing”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Cognate mentionlētumla · killing

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "lētum",
        "t": "killing"
      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lētum",
      "letum#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Death."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "rare",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for lethe →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bGV0aGU