Meanings
plural anesthesias · alternative Commonwealth anaesthesia · alternative dated anæsthesia
- CanadaUScountableuncountablemedicineAn artificial method of preventing sensation, used to eliminate pain without causing loss of vital functions, by the administration of one or more agents which block pain impulses before transmitted to the brain.
In addition, 0.5 ml of 1% lidocaine HCl was injected subcutaneously in the postauricular area for local anesthesia.
2015 August 27, “Intracochlear Bleeding Enhances Cochlear Fibrosis and Ossification: An Animal Study”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI - UScountableuncountableThe loss or prevention of sensation, as caused by anesthesia (in the above sense), or by a lesion in the nervous system, or by another physical abnormality.
In some individuals optimism may become quasi-pathological. The capacity for even a transient sadness or a momentary humility seems cut off from them as by a kind of congenital anæsthesia.
1902, William James, “Lectures 4 & 5”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLCAntonyms: aesthesia
- broadlycountablemetonymicallyoftenproscribeduncountableA medication that provides the service of temporarily blocking sensation.
Synonyms: anesthetic
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe loss or prevention of sensation, as caused by anesthesia (in the above sense), or by a lesion in the nervous system, or by another physical abnormality.
nounA medication that provides the service of temporarily blocking sensation.
More synonyms by meaning
nounloss of bodily sensation with or without loss of consciousness
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἀναισθησία“without sensation”
- New Latinanaesthēsia
- Englishanesthesia
Sense of “insensibility” attested since 1679, from New Latin anaesthēsia, from Ancient Greek ἀναισθησία (anaisthēsía, “without sensation”), from ἀν- (an-, “not”) and αἴσθησις (aísthēsis, “sensation”). By surface analysis, an- + -esthesia. Sense of “state induced by an agent” attested since 1846.
More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans narkose, verdowing
- narkoseloss of bodily sensation
- verdowingloss of bodily sensation
Arabic تَخْدِير
- تَخْدِير (taḵdīr)loss of bodily sensation
Catalan anestèsia
- anestèsialoss of bodily sensation
Chinese Mandarin 麻醉
- 麻醉 (mázuì)loss of bodily sensation
Czech anestezie
- anestezieloss of bodily sensation
Danish anæstesi, narkose
- anæstesiloss of bodily sensation
- narkoseloss of bodily sensation
Dutch verdoving, anesthesie
- verdovingloss of bodily sensation
- anesthesieloss of bodily sensation
Esperanto anestezo
- anestezoloss of bodily sensation
Finnish anestesia, puudutus
- anestesialoss of bodily sensation
- puudutusloss of bodily sensation
French anesthésie, anæsthésie
- anesthésieloss of bodily sensation
- anæsthésieloss of bodily sensation
German Anästhesie, Narkose
- Anästhesieloss of bodily sensation
- Narkoseloss of bodily sensation
- Betäubungloss of bodily sensation
Greek αναισθησία
- αναισθησία (anaisthisía)loss of bodily sensation
Hebrew הרדמה
- הרדמהloss of bodily sensation
Hindi निश्चेतक
- निश्चेतक (niścetak)loss of bodily sensation
Hungarian érzéstelenítés, anesztézia
- érzéstelenítésloss of bodily sensation
- anesztézialoss of bodily sensation
- érzéketlenségloss of bodily sensation
Icelandic deyfing
- deyfingloss of bodily sensation
Indonesian anestesi
- anestesiloss of bodily sensation
Irish ainéistéise
- ainéistéiseloss of bodily sensation
Japanese 麻酔
- 麻酔 (masui)loss of bodily sensation
Korean 마취
- 마취 (machwi)loss of bodily sensation
Māori kēkerewaitanga
- kēkerewaitangaloss of bodily sensation
Norwegian Bokmål bedøvelse
- bedøvelseloss of bodily sensation
Persian هوشبری
- هوشبریloss of bodily sensation
Polish znieczulenie, anestezja
- znieczulenieloss of bodily sensation
- anestezjaloss of bodily sensation
Portuguese anestesia
- anestesialoss of bodily sensation
Russian анестези́я, обезбо́ливание
- анестези́я (anɛstɛzíja)loss of bodily sensation
- обезбо́ливание (obezbólivanije)loss of bodily sensation
Slovak anestézia
- anestézialoss of bodily sensation
Spanish anestesia
- anestesialoss of bodily sensation
Swedish smärtlindring, bedövning
- smärtlindringloss of bodily sensation
- bedövningloss of bodily sensation
- anestesiloss of bodily sensation
Tagalog pangimay, pampamanhid
- pangimayloss of bodily sensation
- pampamanhidloss of bodily sensation
- hirandamloss of bodily sensation
Thai อาการชา
- อาการชา (aa-gaa-rá-chaa)loss of bodily sensation
Turkish anestezi
- anesteziloss of bodily sensation
Ukrainian анестезі́я, знебо́лювання
- анестезі́я (anestezíja)loss of bodily sensation
- знебо́лювання (znebóljuvannja)loss of bodily sensation
- обезбо́лювання (obezbóljuvannja)loss of bodily sensation
Vietnamese sự gây tê
- sự gây têloss of bodily sensation
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
anesthesia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anesthesia
“anesthesia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anesthesia. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anesthesia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anesthesia.
Source: anesthesia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.