Etherises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Puts a person or animal into a state of unconsciousness by administering the sedative vapour ether
2. Renders a patient insensible to pain by giving them ether to breathe during a surgical procedure
3. Induces deep sleep or loss of sensation through the use of ether as an anaesthetic agent

Etymology: "Etherises" is the third-person singular form of "etherise," a verb meaning to put someone under with ether so they lose consciousness or sensation. The verb is built from "ether," the anaesthetic liquid, and the suffix "-ise," which turns a noun into a verb meaning to treat with or subject to that substance. So the word describes a surgeon or nurse who dosed a patient with ether, using a chemical name that had itself been borrowed into English centuries earlier from Latin and Greek roots meaning "upper air" or "bright sky."

Synonyms: etherizes, anesthetizes, numbs, sedates

Antonyms: awakens, revives, rouses