Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

American

[vair-ni-kuh-kawr-suh-kawf, -kof] / ˈvɛər nɪ kəˈkɔr səˌkɔf, -ˌkɒf /

noun

a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by abnormal eye movements, incoordination, confusion, and impaired memory and learning functions, caused by thiamine deficiency, and observed in chronic alcoholism.

Etymology

Origin of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

1965–70; named after German neurologist Karl Wernicke (1848–1905) and Russian psychiatrist Sergeĭ Sergeevich Korsakov (1854–1900), who independently described it

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023