What Does Nostalgia Mean?

The term was originally coined by Johannes Hofer, a medical student in 1678 (nostos = returning home, algos = pain/longing) roots, to refer to "the pain a sick person feels because he wishes to return to his native land, and fears never to see it again". This neologism was so successful that people forgot its origin. Moreover, its original meaning--referring to a serious medical disorder--has been lost as the word nostalgia entered everyday language.uring the period, from the late seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century, that doctors diagnosed and treated nostalgia, it also had other names in various languages — mal du pays (country sickness) in French, Heimweh (home-pain) in German, and el mal de corazón (heart-pain) in Spanish.Nostalgia is more commonly referred to not as a medical condition or a field of study, but as a feeling that any normal person can have. Nostalgia can often be associated with a fond childhood memory, a certain game or activity, often with a certain person, or a treasured personal object.

Nostalgia means an attachment with the past, where one often idealises about their past, and might have difficulty of letting go some moment, or the old times. The term nostalgia was formerly invented by Johannes Hofer, a medical student in 1678. The duration from the late 17th century till the late 19th century- doctors prescribed medicines and treated patients for nostalgia (sickness).

There were cases where soldiers died because of nostalgia, and there were some whose treatments were successful by being discharged and sending them home, however receiving a diagnoses, was generally considered as an insult.

Now nostalgia, is a term more commonly used, and is not a medical condition. It is a feeling which any human can have, it is emotional and a mental feeling. When one remembers his childhood days, or some particular moment, or a particular function, or a particular person (people) - then he is nostalgic. It is a feeling of attachment with something from the past, which they might be lacking in the present. The time duration is uncertain- one may be nostalgic for a few days or even a decade.