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Alzheimer's disease

or Alz·hei·mer disease

[ ahlts-hahy-merz, alts-, awlts- ]
/ ˈɑlts haɪ mərz, ˈælts-, ˈɔlts- /
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noun Pathology.
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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Also called Alz·hei·mer’s .

Origin of Alzheimer's disease

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

Words nearby Alzheimer's disease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease
/ (ˈæltsˌhaɪməz) /

noun
a disorder of the brain resulting in a progressive decline in intellectual and physical abilities and eventual dementiaOften shortened to: Alzheimer's

Word Origin for Alzheimer's disease

C20: named after A. Alzheimer (1864–1915), German physician who first identified it
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease
[ äls′hī-mərz ]

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).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease
[ (ahlts-heye-muhrz, alts-heye-muhrz, awlts-heye-muhrz) ]

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

notes for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is a major cause of loss of intellectual function in middle-aged and elderly people.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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