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Glite Dictionary
to premedicate

to premedicate

1 7.4
To give medicine before a medical procedure to prevent pain or anxiety
  • verb
  • /ˌpriːˈmɛdɪˌkeɪt/
  • Specialized
: premedicar
  • All patients were premedicated with either prednisone or prednisolone and an H1 antihistamine.
  • premedicating patients

Examples

  • To ensure a smooth surgery, the doctor recommended that they premedicate the patient with pain relief medication.

  • The nurse will premedicate the patient with a mild sedative to reduce anxiety before the procedure.

  • And we have premedicated her with something to calm her.

  • So find the gas passer, have him premedicate the patient, then bring me the latest pictures on him.

    M*A*S*H (1970)

  • We found that by carefully selecting appropriate patients and by premedicating them, we greatly reduced the risk of systemic reactions.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Also, some doctors acknowledged premedicating sensitive patients in anticipation of adverse reactions to the smoke.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Before starting the treatment, the healthcare provider decided to premedicate the patient to prevent potential discomfort.

Synonyms

to medicate
vsto premedicate
59 5.1

Give medicine to a person or animal to treat an illness

is given before a procedure specifically to prevent pain or complications
to pretreat
vsto premedicate
1 4.5

To prepare something, like clothes or a surface, before the main step so it works better

is a medical treatment given before procedures to prevent pain or complications

How Strong

to anesthetize
  • Specialized
10 7.1
to sedate
  • Specialized
81 6.8
to premedicate
  • Specialized
1 7.4
to medicate
59 5.1

Surface Forms

premedicate infinitive
premedicated past
premedicated past participle
premedicating present participle
premedicates third person singular

Morphology

premedicate = medicate (transparent) = pre + medic + ate

The meaning is a straightforward application of 'pre-' to 'medicate': to medicate beforehand.

Etymology

Premedicate comes from pre- meaning 'before' and medicate meaning 'to give medicine'. So to premedicate is to give medicine before a procedure or event to prevent pain, anxiety, or other problems.