/ ˌænəsˈθiːziə; NAmE / ( BrE ) ( NAmE an·es·the·sia / -ˈθiːʒə/) noun [ U ]
1.
the use of anaesthetic during medical operations
2.
( technical ) the state of being unable to feel anything, especially pain
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WORD ORIGIN
early 18th cent.: modern Latin , from Greek anaisthēsia , from an- without + aisthēsis sensation.