Synonyms

anesthetize

American

[uh-nes-thi-tahyz] / əˈnɛs θɪˌtaɪz /

especially British, anesthetise

verb (used with object)

to render physically insensible, as by an anesthetic.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of anesthetize

1840–50; < Greek anaísthēt ( os ) ( see anesthetic) + -ize

Explanation

If you need to have surgery, a doctor will anesthetize you, or give you medicine to make you sleep through the operation. When a vet knocks your dog out to clean his teeth, she anesthetizes him. Oral surgeons also anesthetize patients before removing their wisdom teeth. In both cases, special drugs are used to put the patient under, or make him sleep long enough for the procedure to be finished before he wakes up. A doctor whose job it is to anesthetize patients is called an anesthesiologist. The root word is Greek: anaisthesia, "lack of feeling or sensation."

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023