oblivion

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The Word of the Day for October 20 is:

oblivion   \uh-BLIV-ee-un\   noun
     1 : the state of forgetting or having forgotten or of being 
unaware or unconscious
    *2 : the condition or state of being forgotten or unknown

Example sentence:
     When the last of his favorite author's books went out of 
print, Victor feared that she would fall into literary oblivion.

Did you know?
     "Oblivion" derived via Middle English and Anglo-French from 
the Latin "oblivisci," which means "to forget." This form may 
have stemmed from combining "ob-" ("in the way") and "levis" 
("smooth"). In the past, "oblivion" has been used in reference 
to the River Lethe, which according to Greek myth flowed through 
the Underworld and induced a state of forgetfulness in anyone 
who drank its water. Among those who have used the word this way 
is the poet John Milton, who wrote in _Paradise Lost_, "Farr off 
from these a slow and silent stream, Lethe the River of Oblivion 
roules Her watrie Labyrinth."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.