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.

---

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

---

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

Derrick, however, is also the prime locus of the film’s insouciant hypocrisy, since it wants to paint him as a slobbering, exploitative cretin while inviting the audience to savor the fruits of that cretinism.

From New York Times • Aug. 22, 2010

In 1888, Sir Felix Semon, as an outcome of a collective investigation, established for all time that cretinism, myxedema and post-operative myxedema were one and the same.

From The Glands Regulating Personality by Berman, Louis, M.D.

Related Words

• insanity
• lunacy
• madness