aesth-, esth-, aesthe-, esthe-, aesthesio-, esthesio-, aesthesia-, -esthesia, -aesthetic, -esthetic, -aesthetical, -esthetical, -aesthetically, -esthetically

(Greek: feeling, sensation, perception)

acanthesthesia (s) (noun), acanthesthesias (pl)
A painful sensory perception as if being stuck with sharp points: In neurology, acanthesthesia is felt as a terribly sharp pain even with a soft touch, but the victim feels it as if he or she is being stuck with a sharp object, such as with a pin or a needle.
acatamathesia (s) (noun), acatamathesias (pl)
The perception or sensory aspect of aphasia or dysphasia which is any disturbance in the comprehension or expression of languages as a result of a brain lesion: The diagnosis of acatamathesia came as a shock to the family, however it explained the inability of Sally, the mother, to comprehend casual conversation.
acenesthesia, acoenaesthesia (s) (noun); acenesthesias; acoenaesthesias (pl)
1. Absence of the normal sense of physical existence and well-being and of the regular functioning of the bodily organs: Felix was hospitalized so the medical teams could diagnose the acenesthesia of his lower bodily organs.
2. A lack of any feeling of physical existence that is a common symptom in many psychiatric conditions: Florence appeared to be in a state of acenesthesia as she described her feeling of not being physically present.
acmesthesia, acmaesthesia (s) (noun); acmesthesias; acmaesthesias (pl)
A sharp sensation on the skin similar to a pin point touching the skin: Marty's discomfort of acmesthesia was felt most frequently during the dry winter months.

Eliza winced as if she were experiencing acmesthesia even before the doctor gave her an injection.

acmesthetic (adjective), more acmesthetic, most acmesthetic
Relating to a sensation of sharp points touching the skin but lacking the perception of pain usually associated with such stimulation: Glenda had an acmesthetic feeling when the point of the needle was put into her arm, so she didn't feel any pain.

Man is an intelligence in servitude to his organs.

-Aldous Huxley
acouesthesia (s) (noun), acouesthesias (pl)
The sense of hearing; auditory perception: Shirley had acute acouesthesia and it helped her to be an accomplished singer and performer.

You can hear cow bells but you can't hear cow horns.

—Evan Esar

We hear what we listen for.

—Anonymous

A good listener is one who can give you his full attention without hearing a word you say.

—Anonymous
acoustic hypoesthesia (s) (noun), acoustic hypoesthesias (pl)
A partial loss of hearing or a reduced sensitivity to sounds: Mr. Smith, the lawyer, found that the acoustic hypoesthesia which Shirley experienced created difficulty in the courtroom when she needed to hear everything that was said.
acroanesthesia (s) (noun), acroanesthesias (pl)
Loss of sensation in the extremities. such as the hands, fingers, feet, and toes: Severe frostbite or acroanesthesia was painful for Sharon, especially when her fingers started to get warmer.
acrodysaesthesia, acrodysesthesia (s) (noun); acrodysaesthesias; acrodysesthesias (pl)
An abnormal sensation on the skin, usually on the hands and feet: During the healing process after her legs had been burned, Sally experienced frequent episodes of acrodysesthesia which were painful with feelings of tingling, numbness, and even burning pains.

Mark was puzzled by the many acrodysesthesias that he was experiencing in his finger tips which made it barely possible for him to press them together or to touch anything.

acroesthesia (s) (noun), acroesthesias (pl)
Pain in one or more of the bodily extremities, such as in the hands, fingers, feet, toes, etc.: Mr. Black, the physiotherapist, made a special sock for Nancy to protect her from the acroesthesia she was experiencing in the soles of her feet.
acroparesthesia (s) (noun), acroparesthesias (pl)
1. Disease marked by attacks of tingling in the outer parts of the body: Dr. Jones, the doctor who specialized in tropical diseases, was puzzled by the acroparesthesia Norbert had because the symptoms did not match those of any known diseases.
2. Numbness, tingling, and/or other abnormal sensations of the extremities, for example the fingers, hands, forearms, and toes and is usually due to a carpal tunnel syndrome: Acroparesthesia can also arise from other causes and seen frequently in organic disorders, especially in peripheral nerve lesions.

There are times when acroparessthesia refers only to those unpleasant sensations that occur without any known demonstrable organic basis.

aesthacyte, esthacyte (s) (noun); aesthacytes; esthacytes (pl)
A sensory cell of primitive animals: Dr. Owen, the marine biologist, was an expert in identifying and extracting the aesthacytes in sea sponges.
aesthesia, esthesia (es THEE zhuh, es THEE zhi uh) (s) (noun); aesthesias; esthesias (pl)
Consciousness or awareness of physical sensations or perceptions: After the car crash, Greg, the driver, lost his normal aesthesia and was unable to respond to the emergency medical personnel who were trying to rescue him.
aesthesic, esthesic (adjective); more aesthesic, most aesthesic; more esthesic; most esthesic
A reference to the mental perception of sensations: Harriet's aesthetic responses to stimulation were dulled by the pharmacological procedure that was used to allow the surgeon to perform the tonsillectomy or the surgical removal of each tonsil.
aesthesiogenic (adjective), more aesthesiogenic, most aesthesiogenic
Descriptive of something that, when applied to the surface of the body, causes a feeling or sensation: Dr. Simmons used the aesthesiogenic probe to stimulate the muscles in Glenda’s left leg.

Arrow pointing to words and info sections The index of anesthesia history, Parts 1, 2, and 3.


Quiz If you would like to take self-scoring quizzes over some of the words in this thematic unit, then click on this Aesthesia, Esthesia Quizzes link, or the button, so you can see how much you know about some of these aesth-, esth- words.

Related-word units meaning feeling: senso-; pass-, pati-; patho-.