Medications or substances that reduce or eliminate pain without causing loss of consciousness; painkillers.
Plural of analgesic, from a- (without) + algesis (pain sensation) + -ic (relating to). The -ic suffix makes it an adjective that was then nominalized (turned into a noun) for the drugs themselves.
Aspirin, ibuprofen, and morphine are all analgesics, but they work completely differently—some block pain signals, others reduce inflammation, others change how your brain interprets pain. One word covers a lot of different mechanisms!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.