anesthesia

noun an·es·the·sia \ ˌa-nəs-ˈthē-zhə \

Definition of anesthesia

:loss of sensation with or without loss of consciousness

The patient was given an injection to induce anesthesia.

See anesthesia defined for English-language learners

See anesthesia defined for kids

Examples of anesthesia in a Sentence

The patient was given an injection to induce anesthesia.

Recent Examples of anesthesia from the Web

A statue of J. Marion Sims is currently under fire because the white doctor known for pioneering the field of gynecology performed experimental surgeries on enslaved black women without anesthesia in the 1800s.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Protesters Want a Statue Taken Down of a Doctor Who Surgically Experimented on Female Slaves," 29 Aug. 2017
The solution, according to a new study: insect anesthesia.

— andrew wagner, Science | AAAS, "Watch an insect expose its guts while still alive," 11 Aug. 2017
Gov. Brad Little had to take over as acting governor on four days when Otter was undergoing surgery or other procedures that required some level of anesthesia.

— cynthia sewell, idahostatesman, "Recovery from surgery, ‘vigorous’ infection sidelines Gov. Otter for nearly 1 month," 4 Aug. 2017
HSS has a fellowship program that promotes expertise in diverse forms of pain control, including regional anesthesia, said Greg Liguori, chief of the department.

— john lauerman, chicagotribune.com, "Surgery minus morphine - getting opioids out of the OR," 10 July 2017
In short, whereas TMS uses a magnet to activate the brain and is performed with the patient fully awake, ECT is done under general anesthesia and uses an electric current.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "On the radio, he brings life to the party. Off it, mental illness nearly killed him.," 4 July 2017
One of the most popular treatments is rubber band ligation, which can be done in a doctor's office with no bowel prep or anesthesia.

— sandee lamotte, CNN, "Hemorrhoids: Dangers, treatments and prevention," 4 July 2017
The surgical reconstruction, which can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, is done under local anesthesia.

— sarah kinonen, Allure, "Earlobe Reconstruction Surgery to Repair Stretched Lobes Is Trending," 29 June 2017
A POV depends entirely on the continuity of self from one moment to the next, even if that continuity is broken by sleep or anesthesia.

— michael shermer, Scientific American, "Why the “You” in an Afterlife Wouldn't Really Be You," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anesthesia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of anesthesia

New Latin, from Greek anaisthēsia insensibility, from a- + aisthēsis perception, from aisthanesthai to perceive — more at audible

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1721

See Words from the same year

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

ANESTHESIA Defined for English Language Learners

anesthesia

noun

Definition of anesthesia for English Language Learners

medical : loss of feeling in a person's body or part of the body through the use of drugs

ANESTHESIA Defined for Kids

anesthesia

noun an·es·the·sia \ ˌa-nəs-ˈthē-zhə \

Definition of anesthesia for Students

:loss of feeling in all or part of the body with or without loss of consciousness The patient was given an injection before surgery to produce anesthesia.

Medical Dictionary

anesthesia

noun an·es·the·sia

variants: or chiefly British anaesthesia play \ˌan-əs-ˈthē-zhə\

medical Definition of anesthesia

1 :loss of sensation especially to touch usually resulting from a lesion in the nervous system or from some other abnormality

2 :loss of sensation and usually of consciousness without loss of vital functions artificially produced by the administration of one or more agents that block the passage of pain impulses along nerve pathways to the brain