nostalgia
UK: nɒˈstældʒə | US: nəˈstældʒə
n. a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past
n. (medical, archaic) homesickness
Coined in 1688 by Swiss physician Johannes Hofer to describe severe homesickness in soldiers. The term blended Greek nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain) to capture the anguish of longing for home. By the 19th century, its meaning expanded to encompass general yearning for the past. The morphemes reflect a literal "painful longing for home," later romanticized into sentimental memory.
The old photographs filled her with nostalgia for her childhood.
He felt a wave of nostalgia when he heard the song from his college days.
Nostalgia can distort memories, making the past seem better than it was.
The film’s setting evoked nostalgia for 1980s pop culture.
Soldiers stationed abroad often experience nostalgia for their homeland.