dementia

[ dih-men-shuh, -shee-uh ]

/ dɪˈmɛn ʃə, -ʃi ə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dementia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Psychiatry.

severe impairment or loss of intellectual capacity and personality integration, due to the loss of or damage to neurons in the brain.

Nearby words

demeanour, demeclocycline, dement, demented, dementedly, dementia, dementia praecox, dementia pugilistica, demento, demerara, demerge

Origin of dementia

1800–10; < Latin dēmentia madness, equivalent to dēment- out of one's mind (see dement) + -ia noun suffix

Related forms

de·men·tial, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for dementia

Depending on what parts of the brain are impacted, the person can develop forms of dementia and personality changes.
Understanding Tracy Morgan’s Traumatic Brain Injury|Jean Kim|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Later, cognitive and behavioral problems can occur; dementia is not uncommon.
The Burden Robin Williams Carried: Diagnosed With Parkinson’s and Depression|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps there is no better example of this than the way in which we treat our elders living with dementia.
How an iPod Can Fight Alzheimer’s and Dementia|Dr. Bill Thomas|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In my opinion, it is the most inspiring film about dementia out there today.
How an iPod Can Fight Alzheimer’s and Dementia|Dr. Bill Thomas|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We have learned that music uses a side door into a part of the mind that is relatively undamaged by dementia.
How an iPod Can Fight Alzheimer’s and Dementia|Dr. Bill Thomas|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I noticed no dementia on the part of Miss Maturin, who seemed to me a most cultivated and very charming young lady.
Lord Stranleigh Abroad|Robert Barr
There can be no question about the resemblance of benign to dementia prcox stupors.
Benign Stupors|August Hoch
The forms of mental disturbance commonest in puerperal insanity are mania with or without delirium, melancholia, and dementia.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
The dementia may be but partial, or so very complete that the patient knows nothing.
How to Care for the Insane|William D. Granger
There are cases of dementia praecox that only time can differentiate.
Psychotherapy|James J. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for dementia

dementia

/ (dɪˈmɛnʃə, -ʃɪə) /

noun

a state of serious emotional and mental deterioration, of organic or functional origin

Word Origin for dementia

C19: from Latin: madness; see dement

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

Medicine definitions for dementia

dementia

[ dĭ-mĕn′shə ]

n.

Deterioration of intellectual faculties, such as memory, concentration, and judgment, resulting from an organic disease or a disorder of the brain, and often accompanied by emotional disturbance and personality changes.

Science definitions for dementia

dementia

[ dĭ-mĕn′shə ]

Deterioration of intellectual faculties, such as memory, concentration, and judgment, sometimes accompanied by emotional disturbance and personality changes. Dementia is caused by organic damage to the brain (as in Alzheimer's disease), head trauma, metabolic disorders, or the presence of a tumor.