1. Descriptive of a medication that is given prior to the injection of a drug that will result in a total loss of bodily sensations: The anesthetist gave a preanesthetic drug to Patricia in order to reduce her anxiety and apprehension and to facilitate the induction of a general anesthesia before her operation was to take place.
2. A reference to the provision of a medical substance to develop a reduction in a patient's consciousness: Dr. Bowes, the anesthesiologist, recommended the use of a preanesthetic drug prior to administering the normal anesthetic for Dick's's major surgery.