anaesthesia
Americannoun
noun
-
local or general loss of bodily sensation, esp of touch, as the result of nerve damage or other abnormality
-
loss of sensation, esp of pain, induced by drugs: called general anaesthesia when consciousness is lost and local anaesthesia when only a specific area of the body is involved
-
a general dullness or lack of feeling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of anaesthesia
C19: from New Latin, from Greek anaisthēsia absence of sensation, from an- + aisthēsis feeling
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even under anaesthesia, it reacts: heart rate rises, hormones surge, blood pressure spikes.
From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025
"Since the ability to hear remains intact under anaesthesia," the researchers write, "music can still shape the brain's internal state."
From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025
"The laryngoscopy and intubation are considered the most stressful response during general anaesthesia," says Dr Sonia Wadhawan, director-professor of anaesthesia and intensive care at Maulana Azad Medical College and supervisor of the study.
From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025
They are also highly sensitive to anaesthesia and so cannot be kept sedated for long, a result of their unique build -- "the heart to the brain is quite long," Mijele explained.
From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025
Come back around 5 o’clock, he had said, when Finny should be coming out of the anaesthesia.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
