amnesia

[ am-nee-zhuh ]

/ æmˈni ʒə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amnesia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

loss of a large block of interrelated memories; complete or partial loss of memory caused by brain injury, shock, etc.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

ammophilous, ammunition, amn, amn't, amne machin shan, amnesia, amnesiac, amnesic, amnestic, amnestic aphasia, amnestic syndrome

Origin of amnesia

1780–90; < New Latin < Greek amnēsía, variant of amnēstía oblivion; perhaps learnedly formed from mnē-, stem of mimnḗskesthai to remember (cf. mnemonic) + -s- + -ia -ia. See amnesty

Related formsam·nes·tic

[am-nes-tik] /æmˈnɛs tɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amnesia

For Americans, World War I rests in a dark valley of amnesia between the glowing peaks of the Civil War and World War II.
Wounds of World War I Have Yet to Heal|Michael F. Bishop|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the negative side, the sheer tonnage of opinions can overwhelm and cause a degree of amnesia.
The Best Columns of the Year|John Avlon|December 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They were responding to that amnesia—our parents looked the other way.
Out of the Ruins of the Second World War|Lucas Wittmann|October 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But how many sleep-deprived nights are you prepared to spend in nightspots like Les Caves du Roy, Amnesia, or Billionaire?
Simon de Pury: Visiting 16 Studios of Los Angeles’s Top Artists|Simon de Pury|August 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Dr. Anand Veeravagu on the rare form of amnesia that can strike without warning.
Transient Global Amnesia: What Total Memory Loss Is Like|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD|July 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some kind of hysteria and amnesia hit you while we were there.
The Memory of Mars|Raymond F. Jones
Most students of hypnosis equate the phenomenon of amnesia with the somnambulistic state.
A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis|Melvin Powers
For the name of the princess there is amnesia, as well as for the reason for his moon walking.
Sleep Walking and Moon Walking|Isidor Isaak Sadger
Mental acuity of this grade combined with amnesia looks more like an hysterical than a manic-depressive process.
Benign Stupors|August Hoch
Curious problems arise from the nature itself of amnesia, its degree, its mechanism, problems impossible to treat here.
Metapsychical Phenomena|J. Maxwell

British Dictionary definitions for amnesia

amnesia

/ (æmˈniːzjə, -ʒjə, -zɪə) /

noun

a defect in memory, esp one resulting from pathological cause, such as brain damage or hysteria

Derived Formsamnesiac (æmˈniːzɪˌæk) or amnesic (æmˈniːsɪk, -zɪk), adjective, noun

Word Origin for amnesia

C19: via New Latin from Greek: forgetfulness, probably from amnēstia oblivion; see amnesty

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

Word Origin and History for amnesia

amnesia

"loss of memory," 1786 (as a Greek word in English from 1670s), Modern Latin, coined from Greek amnesia "forgetfulness," from a-, privative prefix, "not" (see a- (3)) + mimneskesthai "to recall, cause to remember," a reduplicated form related to Greek mnemnon "mindful," mneme "memory," mnasthai "to remember;" from PIE root *men- "to think, remember" (see mind (n.)).

Medicine definitions for amnesia

amnesia

[ ăm-nē′zhə ]

n.

The loss or impairment of memory.

Science definitions for amnesia

amnesia

[ ăm-nē′zhə ]

Partial or total loss of memory, usually caused by brain injury or shock.

Culture definitions for amnesia

amnesia

[ (am-nee-zhuh) ]

A loss of memory, especially one brought on by some distressing or shocking experience.

Note

A common variant is selective amnesia; the term is applied to public officials who, when questioned about alleged wrongdoing, profess that they cannot remember.