anesthesia (A) /an′esthē″zhə/ [Gk, anaisthesia, lack of feeling] , the absence of all sensation, especially sensitivity to pain, as induced by an anesthetic substance, by hypnosis, or as occurs with traumatic or pathological damage to nerve tissue. Anesthesia induced for medical or surgical purposes may be topical, local, regional, sedation, or general and is named for the anesthetic technique or method. Also spelled anaesthesia. −anesthetize, v.
