( BrE ) ( NAmE an·es·thet·ic ) / ˌænəsˈθetɪk; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun
[ C , U ] a drug that makes a person or an animal unable to feel anything, especially pain, either in the whole body or in a part of the body :
How long will I be under the anaesthetic ?
They gave him a general anaesthetic (= one that makes you become unconscious) .
(a) local anaesthetic (= one that affects only a part of the body)
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] containing a substance that makes a person or an animal unable to feel pain in all or part of the body :
an anaesthetic drug / spray
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 19th cent.: from Greek anaisthētos insensible, related to anaisthēsia , (from an- without + aisthēsis sensation) + -ic .