Meanings
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1
noun
a drug that calms a person or reduces nervous system activity, sometimes causing sleep
The doctor prescribed a mild sedative before the procedure.
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2
adj
having a calming or sleep-inducing effect
The medicine's sedative effect made driving unsafe.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English and Anglo-Norman sedatif, ultimately from Medieval Latin sedativus, based on Latin sedare, 'to calm or settle.' The medical noun developed from the adjective describing a calming effect.