Etherize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈiːθəɹaɪz/

Definitions

1. To induce a state of unconsciousness through the inhalation of anesthetics that are classified as volatile organic compounds
2. To cause a temporary insensitivity to pain or loss of consciousness by means of inhaling a specific type of anesthetic agent
3. To administer anesthesia that results in a reversible loss of sensation or consciousness through inhalation of gaseous anesthetic substances

Etymology: Ether, the volatile liquid that became the first widely used surgical anesthetic, took its name from Greek "aithēr", the upper air or clear sky that the ancient Greeks imagined the gods breathed. Chemists later applied the name to a class of organic compounds, so the substance that put patients to sleep was named after the heavens. Only once that anesthetic was in use did the verb form arise, built by adding the suffix "-ize" to ether, in the sense of administering ether until a patient lost sensation. The suffix "-ize" comes from Greek "-izein", and it turns nouns into verbs meaning to treat or make something in a certain way, as in "sterilize" or "modernize". French formed a parallel word, "éthériser", on the same pattern, and English followed the same route. The result is a verb whose two halves reveal its history: a Greek word for the sky, and a Greek-derived suffix for making something happen.

Synonyms: anesthetize, sedate, narcotize