"tending to remove pain," 1848, from analgesia + -ic. Alternative form analgetic is preferred by linguistic purists but is less common in use. The noun meaning "an analgesic preparation" recorded by 1860.
analgesic in Medicine
analgesic an·al·ge·sic (ān'əl-jē'zĭk, -sĭk) n. A medication capable of reducing or eliminating pain. Also called analgetic.adj. Characterized by analgesia.
analgesic in Science
analgesic
(ān'əl-jē'zĭk) A drug used to eliminate pain; a painkiller. Aspirin and acetaminophen are analgesics.
analgesic in Culture
analgesic [(an-l-jee-zik, an-l-jee-sik)]
A drug, such as aspirin, that relieves pain in the body.