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; see cretin, -ism

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cretinism

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

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

From Nature ● Oct. 21, 2014

Insufficient amounts of iodine in the diet can lead to goiter, cretinism, and many other disorders.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

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

From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2012

Macaulay's moral pedantry, Thiers's cold and repulsive cretinism, the melodramatic, gesticulatory effusiveness of Michelet are all typical styles.

From Youth and Egolatry by Jacob S. (Jacob Sloat) Fassett

Related Words

• insanity
• lunacy
• madness