dysgraphia

American  

[dis-graf-ee-uh] / dɪsˈgræf i ə /

noun

1. a learning disability or neurological condition involving difficulty with writing, especially by hand and at a level appropriate for one's age, and sometimes also with putting one's thoughts into written words.

---

dysgraphia British  

/ dɪsˈɡræfɪə /

noun

1. inability to write correctly, caused by disease of part of the brain

---

Etymology

Origin of dysgraphia

First recorded in 1930–35; dys- + -graph + -ia

Explanation

Dysgraphia is a writing impairment. People with dysgraphia have trouble writing coherently. Bad news nearly always follows when dys- begins a word, and so it does here: dysgraphia is an inability to write coherently, either as a learning disorder or a result of brain damage or disease. The Greek roots mean "difficult writing." If you have dysgraphia, you might be able to write a little, but what you write won’t make much sense. Oddly, someone with dysgraphia may speak fine, since speaking and writing are controlled by different parts of the brain.