absinthe

The word 'absinthe' entered English in the early 19th century from French, which borrowed it from Latin 'absinthium'. The Latin term came from the Ancient Greek 'apsínthion'. The Greek word is thought to be of pre-Greek, possibly Persian, origin, making its deeper roots obscure. Ironically, the ancient Greek term was associated with unpleasantness, yet the modern drink, despite its bitterness, became famously associated with the bohemian artistic culture of 19th-century Paris, symbolizing creativity and a dangerous allure. Its meaning thus evolved from a general term for the bitter wormwood plant to specifically denote the potent, anise-flavored spirit that was once banned in many countries.

The word is a loanword adopted as a single, unanalyzable unit in English. Its internal Greek-derived morphemes (a- 'not' + psinthos 'pleasure') are not active or recognizable substrings in the modern English spelling and meaning.