Synonym a Day

[In Greek mythology, Lethe (pronounced LEE-thee) is one of the several rivers of Hades. Those who drink from it experience complete forgetfulness. Today it is used to refer to one in an oblivious or forgetful state.  The word is also sometimes used in the phrase “drinking from the River Lethe.”]

En route to work today, I heard an ad for an alarm clock with soothing sounds to help you sleep. It had the usual sounds to lull you off to Lethe—pounding surf, waterfalls, crickets, a C-SPAN hearing. The announcer was pleased to introduce two new sounds: birds and New York traffic. (James Lileks, “Soothing Sounds—from New York?” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 11/19/2002.)