Sedation
/sɪˈdeɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of calming or reducing consciousness, often with a sedative drug.
Did you know?Sedation ultimately comes from Latin *sedare* (“to settle, calm”), which is related to the same root behind *sit* and *seat*, so the word literally carries the ancient idea of making someone “sit” into stillness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sed-
“to sit, settle”
Latin
Latin
sedere
“to sit”
Latin
Latin
sedare
“to settle, calm, allay”
Middle French
French
sédation
“a calming or allaying”
Modern English
English
sedation
“the administration or state of being calmed, especially by medication”