Ethize

/ˈɛθaɪz/ verb

Definition

To treat with or expose to ether, especially in medical contexts where ether was used as an anesthetic.

Etymology

From ether (Greek aither, upper air) + -ize (verb-forming suffix meaning 'to treat with' or 'to cause'). Used historically in medical practice from the 1800s onward.

Kelly Says

'Ethize' is medicine's forgotten word—it's what surgeons actually said when they administered ether anesthesia before surgery, making patients unconscious so doctors could operate without causing unbearable pain.

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