Definition

1. Noun:
   • Anesthetic: A substance, administered by injection, inhalation, or other means, that causes a reversible loss of sensation and consciousness, typically used to allow surgery or other painful medical procedures to be performed without pain or distress.
   • Narcotic (in a general, non-medical context): A drug that induces stupor, insensibility, or sleep. Often used colloquially to refer to a substance that can render a person unconscious or highly suggestible.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Bác sĩ gây mê sẽ tiêm thuốc mê cho bệnh nhân trước khi mổ. (The anesthesiologist will inject the anesthetic into the patient before surgery.)
  • Tên cướp dùng khăn tẩm thuốc mê để khống chế nạn nhân. (The robber used a cloth soaked in a narcotic to subdue the victim.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is sometimes used metaphorically to describe something that is so captivating or alluring it feels like an intoxicant.
  • Giọng hát của cô ấy như một thứ thuốc mê. (Her singing voice is like a kind of narcotic.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gây mê (v): To anesthetize.
  • Bệnh nhân đã được gây mê toàn thân. (The patient was placed under general anesthesia.)
• Thuốc tê (n): Local anesthetic; a substance that causes a loss of sensation in a specific, limited area of the body without affecting consciousness.
  • Nha sĩ tiêm thuốc tê trước khi nhổ răng. (The dentist injects a local anesthetic before extracting a tooth.)

Synonyms

• Anesthetic: The precise medical term.
• Narcotic: Emphasizes the sleep-inducing or stupefying effect.
• Sedative: A calming or sleep-inducing drug (though a sedative may not cause full unconsciousness like a general anesthetic).

Related Idioms

• Giọng nói ngọt như thuốc mê: A voice as sweet as a narcotic; describing a dangerously persuasive or seductive way of speaking.
  • Kẻ lừa đảo có giọng nói ngọt như thuốc mê. (The scammer has a voice as sweet as a narcotic.)

noun

1. narcotic, anaesthetic