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epidural

American  
[ep-i-door-uhl, -dyoor-] / ˌɛp ɪˈdʊər əl, -ˈdjʊər- /

adjective

  1. Anatomy. situated on or outside the dura mater.


noun

  • epidurals
    plural
  1. Pharmacology. epidural anesthesia.

epidural British  
/ ˌɛpɪˈdjʊərəl /

adjective

  1. Also: extradural.  upon or outside the dura mater

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. Also called: epidural anaesthesia

    1. injection of anaesthetic into the space outside the dura mater enveloping the spinal cord

    2. anaesthesia induced by this method

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
epidural Scientific  
/ ĕp′ĭ-drəl /
  1. Located on or over the dura mater.


  1. An injection into the epidural space of the spine, as an epidural anesthetic.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of epidural

1880–85; < epi- + dur(a mater) + -al 1 ( def. )

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.

See Examples For:

There was the bill for the OB-GYN who helped deliver my baby and the anesthesiologist who gave me my epidural.

From Slate Apr. 25, 2026

Hague explained she then received an epidural which allowed her to enjoy the pushing part of labour.

From BBC Feb. 5, 2026

Since I did not have an epidural with my first labor, I opted not to get an epidural.

From Slate Jan. 11, 2026

She chose to have an epidural for that birth and again for the birth of her third child in Japan last year.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 12, 2025

McVay has said that Stafford received an epidural injection a few weeks ago, but on Tuesday he declined to specify if he had received another.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 19, 2025

"In clinical practice, epidurals are given in carefully controlled doses because blocking sensory nerves completely can make labor much longer," notes Zhang.

From Science Daily Jan. 13, 2026

But the big reason for Japanese hesitancy around epidurals is cultural, according to moms, midwives and doctors, with a “natural” birth without pain relief viewed by some as an essential rite of passage in motherhood.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 12, 2025

Some patients also benefit from medical technology like epidurals, and a minority benefit from surgeons, “which is what obstetricians are.”

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 3, 2023

Evidence suggests fewer epidurals might mean fewer births using instruments like forceps and ventouse vacuum suction, says NICE.

From BBC Apr. 25, 2023

But before her hotly anticipated next special comes out in 2018, several comics are turning diapers and epidurals into blunt, confessional comedy.

From New York Times Oct. 13, 2017

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