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Noun: anesthetic  ,a-nus'the-tik
Usage: N. Amer (elsewhere: anaesthetic)
  1. A drug that causes temporary loss of bodily sensations
    "The surgeon administered a local anesthetic before the procedure";
    - anaesthetic [Brit, Cdn], anesthetic agent [N. Amer], anaesthetic agent [Brit, Cdn]
Adjective: anesthetic  ,a-nus'the-tik
Usage: N. Amer (elsewhere: anaesthetic)
  1. Relating to or producing insensibility
    "The anesthetic effects of the drug made the surgery painless";
    - anaesthetic [Brit, Cdn]
     
  2. Characterized by insensibility
    "the young girls are in a state of possession — blind and deaf and anesthetic"; "an anesthetic state";
    - anaesthetic [Brit, Cdn]

Derived forms: anesthetics

See also: insensible

Type of: drug

Encyclopedia: Anesthetic