Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

preanesthetic

American  
[pree-an-uhs-thet-ik, pree-an-] / priˌæn əsˈθɛt ɪk, ˌpri æn- /

noun

  1. a substance that produces a preliminary or light anesthesia.

adjective

  1. given prior to an anesthetic that induces total insensibility.

Etymology

Origin of preanesthetic

First recorded in 1890–95; pre- + anesthetic

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.

In preanesthetic surgery, minor operations were performed rapidly, beginning just after the patient's attention had been attracted to something else besides the thought of the operation.

From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)

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.