multiple sclerosis

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. a chronic degenerative, often episodic disease of the central nervous system marked by patchy destruction of the myelin that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers, usually appearing in young adulthood and manifested by one or more mild to severe neural and muscular impairments, as spastic weakness in one or more limbs, local sensory losses, bladder dysfunction, or visual disturbances.

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multiple sclerosis British  

noun

1. Also called: disseminated sclerosis.  a chronic progressive disease of the central nervous system characterized by loss of some of the myelin sheath surrounding certain nerve fibres and resulting in speech and visual disorders, tremor, muscular incoordination, partial paralysis, etc

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multiple sclerosis Scientific  

/ sklə-rō′sĭs /

1. A chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system in which gradual destruction of myelin occurs in the brain or spinal cord or both, interfering with the nerve pathways and causing muscular weakness, loss of coordination, and speech and visual disturbances. It occurs chiefly in young adults and is thought to be caused by a defect in the immune system that may be of genetic or viral origin.

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multiple sclerosis Cultural  

1. A chronic disease of the central nervous system characterized by the hardening of patches of tissue in the brain and spinal cord. The cause of this disease has to do with damage to the sheathes of nerves, and there is no specific treatment. It occurs in varying degrees of severity and, in the worst case, can result in permanent paralysis.

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Etymology

Origin of multiple sclerosis

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The findings suggest that in multiple sclerosis, myelin-producing cells may come under stress and revert to a younger, less functional state instead of dying completely.

From Science Daily • May 27, 2026

Interestingly, the altered cells closely resembled a distinct population of cells previously identified in people with multiple sclerosis.

From Science Daily • May 27, 2026

Her mother has multiple sclerosis and is paralysed from the neck down, and Tilly has cared for her mum from a young age.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

Going forward, new medicines like giredestrant for breast cancer, fenebrutinib for multiple sclerosis and a drug candidate for Alzheimer’s disease seem key to drive Roche’s top-line growth, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

By the time she had turned thirty, prison doctors diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis, intellectual disability, and mental illness related to trauma.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson