a state of serious mental deterioration, of organic or functional origin, characterized by declining memory and intellectual ability, and emotional and behavioural changes
Word origin
C19: from Latin: madness; see dement
dementia in American English
(dɪˈmɛnʃə)
noun
1. Obsolete
insanity; madness
2. Psychiatry
a disorder of the mind affecting perception, memory, and judgment, characterized by reduced ability to remember, control muscular movements, recognize familiar objects and sounds, etc.
SIMILAR WORDS: inˈsanity
Word origin
L, insanity < demens: see dement
Word lists with
dementia
Psychology terms
In other languages
dementia
British English: dementia NOUN
Dementia is a serious illness of the mind.
...a treatment for mental conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
American English: dementia
Brazilian Portuguese: demência
Chinese: 痴呆
European Spanish: demencia
French: démence
German: Demenz
Italian: demenza
Japanese: 認知症
Korean: 치매
European Portuguese: demência
Latin American Spanish: demencia
All related terms of 'dementia'
senile dementia
Senile dementia is a mental illness that affects some old people and that causes them to become confused and to forget things.
dementia praecox
→ schizophrenia
dementia research
Research is work that involves studying something and trying to discover facts about it.
presenile dementia
a form of dementia starting before a person is 65 years old
dementia paralytica
a disease of the central nervous system: a late manifestation of syphilis , often occurring up to 15 years after the original infection , characterized by mental deterioration, speech defects , and progressive paralysis
young-onset dementia
a form of dementia starting before a person is 65 years old