'anesthesiology' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'anesthesia,' where 'an-' meant 'without' and 'aisthēsis' meant 'sensation,' combined with '-logy' meaning 'the study of.'

'anesthesia' was adopted into English in the 19th century, and the term 'anesthesiology' was formed by adding the suffix '-logy' to denote the scientific study of anesthesia.

Initially, it meant 'the study of anesthesia,' and over time it has come to refer specifically to the medical specialty dealing with anesthesia and anesthetics.