encephalopathy

American  

[en-sef-uh-lop-uh-thee] / ɛnˌsɛf əˈlɒp ə θi /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. any brain disease.

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encephalopathy British  

/ ɛnˌsɛfəˈlɒpəθɪ /

noun

1. any degenerative disease of the brain, often associated with toxic conditions See also BSE

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encephalopathy Scientific  

/ ĕn-sĕf′ə-lŏp′ə-thē /

1. Degeneration of brain function, caused by any of various acquired disorders, including metabolic disease, organ failure, inflammation, and chronic infection.

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Etymology

Origin of encephalopathy

First recorded in 1865–70; encephalo- + -pathy

Example Sentences

Of those children, 37 had acute necrotizing encephalopathy, or ANE, a particularly severe form of the disease that results in rapid neurologic decline.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2025

That table, for instance, lists certain forms of encephalopathy — a type of brain dysfunction — as a rare side effect of shots that protect people from whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2025

Repeated head blows can cause something called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which gets worse over time and can lead to dementia.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2024

Mr. Zucker had suffered numerous health problems since being injured in a car crash in 2022, including, near the end of his life, metabolic encephalopathy and three underlying infections.

From New York Times • May 23, 2024

Boogaard and Probert were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that researchers have linked to concussions or repeated blows to the head.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2024