nostalgia noun nos·tal·gia \nä-ˈstal-jə, nə- also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl-\ 1 :  the state of being homesick :  homesickness 2 :  a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also :  something that evokes nostalgia