Late 18th century (in the sense 'acute homesickness'): modern Latin (translating German Heimweh 'homesickness'), from Greek nostos 'return home' + algos 'pain'.

• As the saying goes, ‘Nostalgia isn't what it used to be’. In English nostalgia first meant ‘acute homesickness’, coined in the 18th century from the Greek words nostos, ‘return home’, and algos, ‘pain’, as a translation of the German word Heimweh or ‘homesickness’. The familiar modern meaning, ‘longing for the past’, had become established by the early 20th century. There are a number of medical terms also derived from algos, all relating to physical pain, such as neuralgia (early 19th century) ‘pain in a nerve’, and analgesia (early 18th century) ‘relief of pain’.