nitrogen narcosis

noun Pathology.

a semistupor, lightheadedness, or euphoria experienced by deep-sea divers when nitrogen from air enters the blood at higher than atmospheric pressure.

Nearby words

nitrogen fixer, nitrogen fixing, nitrogen lag, nitrogen monoxide, nitrogen mustard, nitrogen narcosis, nitrogen partition, nitrogen peroxide, nitrogen tetroxide, nitrogen-fixing, nitrogenase

Origin of nitrogen narcosis

First recorded in 1935–40

Also called rapture of the deep.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Medicine definitions for nitrogen narcosis

nitrogen narcosis

n.

Narcosis produced by nitrogenous materials such as those occurring in certain forms of uremia and hepatic coma.

A stuporous condition variously characterized by disorientation, euphoria, and loss of judgment and skill, attributed to nitrogen entering the blood during breathing of normal air at increased pressure, as occurs with deep-sea divers.rapture of the deep