Analgesia
/ˌænəlˈdʒiːziə/noun
The inability to feel pain without necessarily losing consciousness or other sensations.
Did you know?Analgesia contains the same Greek pain-root found in words such as neuralgia and nostalgia, while its opening an- means “without” or “lacking.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*n̥-
“A privative prefix meaning “not,” “without,” or “lacking.””
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἄλγος (álgos)
“Pain, suffering, or distress.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀναλγησία (analgēsía)
“Insensibility to pain; freedom from pain.”
17th Century
New Latin
analgesia
“Medical absence or relief of pain.”
19th Century
English
analgesia
“The condition of being unable to feel pain, adopted as a medical term.”
Modern English
English
analgesia
“Pain relief or loss of pain sensation, with consciousness generally preserved.”