Anaesthesia \An`[ae]s*the"si*a\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ?; 'an priv. + ? feeling, ? to feel: cf. F. anesth['e]sie. See [AE]sthetics.]

(Med.) Entire or partial loss or absence of feeling or sensation; a state of general or local insensibility produced by disease or by the inhalation or application of an an[ae]sthetic.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)