mental

¹

[ men-tl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the mind:

   mental powers;

   mental suffering.

2. of, relating to, or affected by a disorder of the mind:

   a mental patient;

   mental illness.

3. providing care for persons with disordered minds, emotions, etc.:

   a mental hospital.

4. performed by or existing in the mind:

   mental arithmetic;

   a mental note.

5. pertaining to intellectuals or intellectual activity.
6. Informal. slightly daft; out of one's mind; crazy:

   He's mental.

noun

1. Informal. a person with a psychological disorder:

   a fascist group made up largely of mentals.

mental

²

[ men-tl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the chin.

mental

¹

/ ˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. of or involving the mind or an intellectual process
2. occurring only in the mind

   mental calculations

3. affected by mental illness Preferred formpsychiatric

   a mental patient

4. concerned with care for persons with mental illness Preferred formpsychiatric

   a mental hospital

5. slang.
   insane

mental

²

/ ˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. anatomy of or relating to the chin Alsogenial

Derived Forms

• ˈmentally, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of mental¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin mentālis, equivalent to Latin ment- (stem of mēns ) mind + -ālis -al ¹

Origin of mental²

First recorded in 1720–30; from Latin ment(um) “the chin” ( mentum ) + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mental¹

C15: from Late Latin mentālis, from Latin mēns mind

Origin of mental²

C18: from Latin mentum chin

Example Sentences

In the classic skillset of piloting, mental acuity, and its coordination with hand and foot movements, is equally vital.

From The Daily Beast

Few reports of his mental illness discuss lead poisoning as a possible reason for his mental deterioration.

From The Daily Beast

They take home mental baggage unlike anything carried in almost every other job.

From The Daily Beast

“We all need to take care of our own mental health,” Darden said.

From The Daily Beast

He suggested I needed mental help, and offered to help me transfer to another college.

From The Daily Beast

And this college course I have sketched should, in the modern state, pass insensibly into adult mental activities.

From Project Gutenberg

It makes out of the savage raw material which is our basal mental stuff, a citizen.

From Project Gutenberg

To make the effort of articulation a vital impulse in response to a mental concept,—this is the object sought.

From Project Gutenberg

The two enjoyed a mutual understanding from which he was excluded, a private intimacy that was spiritual, mental,— physical.

From Project Gutenberg

He took mental inventory of his possessions and what he could lay claim to, and he happened to think about his wife's homestead.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cerebral
• intellectual
• psychiatric
• subjective