sedative
n.n. a medicine that makes you feel relaxed or sleepy. Doctors use it to help patients fall asleep or to calm them down before a medical procedure.
n. a drug that induces drowsiness, relaxation, or sleep. Often used in medical contexts to manage anxiety or as a pre-operative agent.
The doctor prescribed a mild sedative to help me sleep.
Before the MRI scan, the nurse administered a sedative to ensure the patient remained still during the procedure.
While the patient required a sedative to manage her anxiety, the medical team monitored her vital signs closely to ensure the medication did not cause excessive respiratory depression.
Inherited from Middle English sedatif, from Anglo-Norman sedatif, from Medieval Latin sēdātīvus, which itself likely influenced the modern spelling.