anesthesia

Where does the word "anesthesia" come from? It comes from Greek anaisthesia, and was adopted directly into English (1840s).

Anesthesia’s story begins in Greek: anaisthesia meant “without sensation.” Literally without sensation, from an- (without) and aisthesis (sensation). It reached English by 1840s as anesthesia. Adopted once surgical pain relief made the condition medically useful. Today, anesthesia means a medically induced state of loss of sensation, especially during surgery.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient anaisthesia "without sensation", literally without sensation, from an- (without) and aisthesis (sensation).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1840s anesthesia "a state of induced loss of sensation", adopted once surgical pain relief made the condition medically useful.