local or general loss of bodily sensation, esp of touch, as the result of nerve damage or other abnormality
2.
loss of sensation, esp of pain, induced by drugs: called general anaesthesia when consciousness is lost and local anaesthesia when only a specific area of the body is involved
3.
a general dullness or lack of feeling
Also called: anaesthesis
Word origin
C19: from New Latin, from Greek anaisthēsia absence of sensation, from an- + aisthēsis feeling