Chloroforming

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Anesthesia induced by the inhalation of a specific compound that often leads to unconsciousness
2. The process of sedating an individual through the use of a toxic solvent to induce a state of insensitivity to pain
3. The act of rendering a person unresponsive through exposure to a chemical agent known for its usage in medical settings

Etymology: Chloroform was named in 1834 by the French chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas, who built the word as a portmanteau. He combined "terchloride," a term for a compound with three chlorine atoms, with "formyle," the name of an old chemical radical (CH) once thought to be the core of formic acid. The result was a name that described a chlorinated molecule with a formyl component. The word's first half, "chloro-," comes from the Greek "khlōros," meaning pale green, a nod to the greenish-yellow gas chlorine. The "-form" ending preserves the older chemical radical rather than any link to the familiar sense of a shape or document. Chloroform was later used as an anaesthetic, and "chloroforming" names the act of dosing someone with it. The verb form follows the noun, so the word's history is tied to that early chemistry rather than to the anaesthetic's later uses.

Synonyms: anesthetizing, knocking out, drugging, sedating

Antonyms: awakening, reviving, stimulating