cretinism

American  

[kreet-n-iz-uhm, kret-] / ˈkrit nˌɪz əm, ˈkrɛt- /

noun

Pathology.

1. (no longer in technical use) a congenital disease due to absence or deficiency of normal thyroid secretion, characterized by physical deformity, dwarfism, and intellectual disability, and often by goiter: This condition is now diagnosed as congenital hypothyroidism or congenital iodine deficiency.

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cretinism British  

/ ˈkrɛtɪˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. old-fashioned a condition arising from a deficiency of thyroid hormone, present from birth, characterized by dwarfism and mental retardation See also myxoedema

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Etymology

Origin of cretinism

First recorded in 1795–1800; from French crétinisme; cretin, -ism

Example Sentences

The late Gore Vidal explained that one of his ambitions as a historian and novelist was to determine “when the great cretinism began in the United States…when people got really dumb.”

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024

In children, hypothyroidism can cause cretinism, which can lead to mental retardation and growth defects.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Neither cretinism, Laron syndrome nor Down's syndrome duplicate the full suite of features.

From Nature • Oct. 21, 2014

I was reduced, during her book’s final third, to puddle-eyed cretinism.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2012

Disorder of the thyroid produces both dwarfing cretinism, and a myxœdematous condition of the subcutaneous tissues, increasing the quantity of the jelly-like material in these, and therefore approximating some conditions found in the invertebrates.

From Degeneracy Its Causes, Signs and Results by Talbot, Eugene S.

Related Words

• insanity
• lunacy
• madness