anaesthetize

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to administer an anaesthetic to a person or animal, making them insensitive to pain or unconscious

   The surgical team will anaesthetize the patient before making the incision.

2. 2
   verb

   to make a part of the body unable to feel sensation

   The dentist used a local injection to anaesthetize the gum.

From anaesthetic + -ize, ultimately from Ancient Greek anaisthesia ("lack of sensation"), from an- ("without") + aisthesis ("perception, feeling"). Anaesthetize is the British Oxford spelling; anaesthetise and American anesthetize are variants.

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