Narcotizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To induce a state of stupor or unconsciousness through substances that numb pain or sensory perception
2. to render someone temporarily less aware or responsive through medication or drugs
3. to cause a sedation effect that diminishes mental clarity or physical sensitivity through pharmacological means

Etymology: "Narcotizes" is the third-person singular form of "narcotize," meaning to numb or stupefy with drugs. The verb is built from "narcotic" plus the suffix "-ize," so the drug sense sits at the heart of it. The suffix has a long road behind it. It descends from a Greek verb-forming ending, "-izein," which turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make into" or "to treat with." Greek passed it to Late Latin as "-izare," and it travelled through Old French into Middle English as "-isen," later settling into the modern "-ize" spelling. English speakers have used it freely ever since, so a verb like this one could be coined from almost any noun or adjective that needed a verb form. "Narcotic" itself comes from the Greek "narkotikos," from "narkoun," meaning "to make numb," which is the same idea the verb carries today. The verb therefore repeats the core meaning of its root word: making someone numb, now through drugs.

Synonyms: sedates, anesthetizes, calms

Antonyms: stimulates, excites