Word
anesthetic
Phoneticsanes·thet·ic
/ˌænəsˈθɛtɪk/
UK spelling · anaesthetic
Definition
n. a drug or gas that doctors use to make you not feel pain during an operation. It can make a small area numb or put you into a deep sleep.
n. a substance that induces a reversible loss of sensation or consciousness, typically administered before a surgical procedure. Often categorized as either local, affecting a specific area, or general, affecting the entire body.
Examples
“The dentist gave me a local anesthetic before filling the cavity.”
“Before the surgery began, the medical team administered a general anesthetic to ensure the patient remained unconscious and pain-free.”
“Advances in pharmacology have led to the development of modern anesthetics that offer rapid onset and minimal side effects, significantly improving patient recovery times after major operations.”
Examples
simple
“The dentist gave me a local anesthetic before filling the cavity.”
contextual
“Before the surgery began, the medical team administered a general anesthetic to ensure the patient remained unconscious and pain-free.”
complex
“Advances in pharmacology have led to the development of modern anesthetics that offer rapid onset and minimal side effects, significantly improving patient recovery times after major operations.”
Usage
Can be used as a countable noun for specific types of drugs or as an uncountable noun for the substance in general.
Real-World Examples
“When she learned that she had a fibroid that needed removing, Harris’s first question was: “Will it be painful?” Her gynaecologist assured her that she would be given local anaesthetic and “wouldn’t feel anything”.” “I was offered a general anaesthetic on the third occasion, but this is way too much.” Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ᾰ̓- (ă-) Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-)der. English an- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewis-dʰh₁ Proto-Hellenic *awistʰomai Ancient Greek αἰσθᾰ́νομαι (aisthắnomai) Proto-Indo-European *-tis Ancient Greek -τις (-tis) Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Ancient Greek αἴσθησῐς (aísthēsĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós) Ancient Greek αἰσθητῐκός (aisthētĭkós)bor. Latin aesthēticusder. German Ästhetikder. ▲ New Latin aesthēticusbor. French esthétiqueder. English aesthetic English esthetic English anesthetic From an- + esthetic, or Latinized form of Ancient Greek ἀναίσθητος (anaísthētos, “insensible”) + -ic, from ἀν- (an-, “un-”) + αἰσθητικός (aisthētikós, “perceptible”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/anesthetic