dementia
[dih-men-shuh, -shee-uh]
- severe impairment or loss of intellectual capacity and personality integration, due to the loss of or damage to neurons in the brain.
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Origin of dementia
1800–10; < Latin dēmentia madness, equivalent to dēment- out of one's mind (see dement) + -ia noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dementia
Contemporary Examples
Depending on what parts of the brain are impacted, the person can develop forms of dementia and personality changes.
Later, cognitive and behavioral problems can occur; dementia is not uncommon.
The Burden Robin Williams Carried: Diagnosed With Parkinson’s and DepressionDr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad
August 15, 2014
Perhaps there is no better example of this than the way in which we treat our elders living with dementia.
In my opinion, it is the most inspiring film about dementia out there today.
We have learned that music uses a side door into a part of the mind that is relatively undamaged by dementia.
Historical Examples
The sufferer from Dementia forgets his promises, however serious they may be.
Criminal ManGina Lombroso-Ferrero
In prison his dementia returned and he stayed there two years.
In Our TownWilliam Allen White
Dementia is the final stage in the cases that become chronic.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and MutilationAustin O'Malley
Every type of madness may there be studied, from dementia and melancholia to mania.
Old and New Paris, v. 2Henry Sutherland Edwards
For confirmation, see my "Psychology of Dementia Prcox," p. 103.
dementia
- a state of serious emotional and mental deterioration, of organic or functional origin
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Word Origin
C19: from Latin: madness; see dement
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for dementia
n.
1806, from Latin dementia "madness, distraction, folly," noun of state from dementem, from dementer (see dement). It existed earlier in an anglicized form, demency (1520s), from French démence. Dementia praecox is a Modern Latin form recorded from 1899 in English, 1891 in German, from French démence précoce (1857). See precocious.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dementia
(dĭ-mĕn′shə)- 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.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.