Definition of anesthetics Anesthetics

/æˌnʌsθɛˈtɪks/ - [anusthetiks] -

We found 3 definitions of anesthetics from 2 different sources.

Word comparison

anaesthetics - /ˌænəsθˈɛtɪks/

anesthetics - /æˌnʌsθɛˈtɪks/

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Noun Plural: anesthetics
anesthetic - a drug that causes temporary loss of bodily sensations
		anaesthetic, anesthetic agent, anaesthetic agent
		drug a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic
		general anaesthetic, general anesthetic an anesthetic that anesthetizes the entire body and causes loss of consciousness
		intravenous anesthetic an anesthetic that produces anesthesia when injected into the circulatory system
		local anaesthetic, local anesthetic, topical anaesthetic, topical anesthetic, local anesthetic that numbs a particular area of the body
Adjective
anesthetic - characterized by insensibility; "the young girls are in a state of possession--blind and deaf and anesthetic"; "an anesthetic state"
		anaesthetic
		insensible unresponsive to stimulation; "he lay insensible where he had fallen"; "drugged and senseless"
anesthetic - relating to or producing insensibility
		anaesthetic

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anesthetic (Noun)
A substance administered to reduce the perception of pain or to induce numbness. An anesthetic may or may not render the recipient unconscious, depending upon the type used.
anesthetic (Adjective)
Causing the reduction of pain sensitivity.

An anesthetic is a substance that doctors use on people. It makes them either stop hurting, or go completely to sleep during surgery. Anesthetic can be given as rubbed onto the skin, as an injection ("shot"), or as a gas to breathe. Anaesthetic (anaesthesia), blocks the pain during operations. This lets patients undergo surgery and other procedures without the distress and pain they would normally feel. It comes from Greek roots an-, "without" and aesthetos, "perceptible, able to feel".

The modern anesthetic was created by Joseph Lister. Before it, people sometimes used cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs.