Word of the day: Obtund

Obtund

[ob-TUHND]

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, 15th century

Dull the sensitivity of; blunt; deaden.

Examples of obtund in a sentence

"Katherine bought a new shovel each winter and used it on the ice until she had obtunded it."

"I was pleased to discover children’s aspirin obtunds the pain from canker sores."

About Obtund

“Obtund” is based on the Latin “obtundere,” which means “to dull.” It is based on the roots “ob-” (meaning “against”) and “tundere” (meaning “to beat”).

Did you Know?

“Obtund” means “to blunt” or “to render dull.” This meaning is built right into its Latin roots “ob-” and “tundere,” meaning “to beat against.” To obtund, originally, meant to blunt a physical object by repetitious force, the same way a shovel becomes dull the more often the digger collides with buried rocks. Today, “obtund” is often used in medical contexts, in which it describes not dulling tools but dulling sensitivity. For example, a topical anesthetic is used to obtund areas of skin or tissue that might otherwise be more sensitive.