1550s, from Latin nectar, from Greek nektar, name of the drink of the gods, which is perhaps an ancient Indo-European poetic compound of nek- "death" (from PIE root *nek- (1) "death") + -tar "overcoming," from PIE root *tere- (2) "cross over, pass through, overcome." Sense of "any delicious drink" is from 1580s. Meaning "sweet liquid in flowers" first recorded c. 1600.