before vowels thanat-, word-forming element meaning "death," from Greek thanatos "death," from PIE *dhwene- "to disappear, die," perhaps from a root meaning "dark, cloudy" (compare Sanskrit dhvantah "dark"). Hence Bryant's "Thanatopsis", with Greek opsis "a sight, view."
Entries linking to thanato-
thanatism n.
belief that at death the soul ceases to exist, 1900, from thanato- + -ism.
thanatology n.
"scientific study of death," 1837, from thanato- "death" + -logy. In 1970s, some undertakers made a bid to be called thanatologists; but from 1974 that word has been used principally in reference to specialists in the needs of the terminally ill.
thanatos n.
"death instinct," 1935, in Freudian psychology, from Greek thanatos "death" (see thanato-).