twilight sleep

noun

An amnesic condition characterized by an insensibility to pain without loss of consciousness, induced by an injection of morphine and scopolamine, especially to relieve the pain of childbirth.

OriginGerman Dämmerschlaf →
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Meanings

nountwilight sleep (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAn amnesic condition characterized by an insensibility to pain without loss of consciousness, induced by an injection of morphine and scopolamine, especially to relieve the pain of childbirth.

Origin

  1. GermanDämmerschlaf
  2. Englishtwilight sleep

Calque of German Dämmerschlaf.

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

twilight sleep. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twilight%20sleep

MLA

“twilight sleep.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twilight%20sleep. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “twilight sleep,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/twilight%20sleep.

Source: twilight sleep on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.