What does anaesthetising mean?
Anaesthetising is the present-participle form of the British verb “anaesthetise,” meaning to make someone insensitive to sensation, especially through the use of an anaesthetic. It is most commonly used in medicine and veterinary practice: a clinician may be anaesthetising a patient before an operation, or an animal before a procedure. The action is not simply the same as describing a patient’s condition. “Anaesthetised” indicates that anaesthesia has been induced, while “anaesthetising” emphasizes the process itself. In formal writing, the word can also refer broadly to rendering a person or animal incapable of feeling pain, although its principal application is clinical. The British spelling “anaesthetising” corresponds to the US form “anesthetizing.” The term is useful in professional and general contexts whenever precision about the act of administering anaesthesia matters.
verb (present participle)Causing someone to lose sensation or consciousness, especially by administering an anaesthetic. In medical contexts, it refers to the process of rendering a patient insensitive to pain before surgery or another procedure.
- Rendering someone insensate, especially by administering an anaesthetic so that they do not feel pain during surgery or another medical procedure.
"The nurse was anaesthetising the patient when the surgeon entered the operating theatre."
"The nurse was anaesthetising the patient when the surgeon entered."
"The report discusses the risks involved in anaesthetising young children."
The word hides a Greek idea: anaesthesia literally means “without sensation.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How anaesthetising is actually used
This is chiefly a British spelling; the US form is “anesthetizing.” It is most often used in medical and veterinary contexts and is more precise than “putting under” when referring formally to the administration of an anaesthetic.
Easily confused with anaesthetising
An anaesthetic is a substance that produces insensibility, whereas anaesthetising is the act of using such a substance to make someone insensitive.