Alzheimer's disease

American  

[ahlts-hahy-merz, alts-, awlts-] / ˈɑlts haɪ mərz, ˈælts-, ˈɔlts- /

Or Alzheimer disease

noun

Pathology.

1. a common form of dementia, believed to be caused by changes in the brain, usually beginning in late middle age, characterized by memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability, and progressive loss of mental ability.

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Alzheimer's disease British  

/ ˈæltsˌhaɪməz /

noun

1. Often shortened to: Alzheimer's. a disorder of the brain resulting in a progressive decline in intellectual and physical abilities and eventual dementia

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Alzheimer's disease Scientific  

/ äls′hī-mərz /

1. A progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, commonly affecting the elderly, and associated with the development of amyloid plaques in the cerebral cortex. It is characterized by confusion, disorientation, memory failure, speech disturbances, and eventual dementia. The cause is unknown. Alzheimer's disease is named for its identifier, German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915).

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Alzheimer's disease Cultural  

1. A disease in which mental capacity decreases because of the breakdown of brain cells.

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Discover More

Alzheimer's disease is a major cause of loss of intellectual function in middle-aged and elderly people.

Etymology

Origin of Alzheimer's disease

Named after Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915), German neurologist, who described it in 1907

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Alzheimer's disease

The manuscript belongs to Barr’s wife, Dava, who now has Alzheimer’s disease and lives in a care facility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Brain changes precede Alzheimer’s disease by years, but without a baseline, there is nothing to compare those changes against.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

He said both of his parents died in the past ten years — his dad had Alzheimer’s disease and his mother had liver failure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

In mice, researchers found that ImP reaching the brain increased the accumulation of abnormal beta amyloid and tau proteins, two major hallmarks associated with Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

“Because he has something called Alzheimer’s disease, Merci,” he says.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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