word deafness

noun

Pathology.

1. inability to comprehend the meanings of words though they are heard, caused by lesions of the auditory center of the brain.

word deafness

noun

1. Also called: auditory aphasia. loss of ability to understand spoken words, esp as the result of a cerebral lesion

Other Word Forms

• word-deaf adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of word deafness¹

First recorded in 1885–90