anesthesia
UK: ˌæn.ɪsˈθiː.zi.ə | US: ˌæn.əsˈθiː.ʒə
n. A state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness, induced for medical purposes.
n. (Figuratively) A lack of feeling or sensitivity, often emotional or moral.
anesthesia = an<without> + esthes<feeling> + ia<noun suffix>
- an (from Greek an-, meaning "without")
- esthes (from Greek aisthēsis, meaning "sensation" or "feeling")
- ia (noun-forming suffix indicating a condition or state)
Etymology Origin:
The term anesthesia originates from Greek anaisthēsia ("lack of feeling"), combining an- ("without") and aisthēsis ("sensation"). Coined in the 19th century by physician Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., it described the revolutionary medical state of insensibility during surgery. The morphemes reflect a clear logical progression: the absence (an-) of perception (esthes-), formalized into a medical condition (-ia).
The patient was under general anesthesia during the operation.
Local anesthesia numbs only a specific part of the body.
Modern anesthesia has made surgeries virtually painless.
His emotional anesthesia made him indifferent to others' suffering.
The discovery of anesthesia transformed medical history.