Meaning & use

anesthesia

noun·Academic

A medically induced loss of sensation or consciousness, used to prevent pain during surgery or procedures.

See it in a sentence

The surgeon waited until the anesthesia had fully taken effect before making the first incision.

Local anesthesia numbed only the area around the tooth being extracted.

A note on using this word

American English spells it "anesthesia," while British English uses "anaesthesia"; both are pronounced the same way.

Words with a similar meaning

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