dementia pugilistica
noun
dementia pu·gi·lis·ti·ca -ˌpyü-jə-ˈli-sti-kə 
: chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Brain degeneration from repeated blows to the head has been known in boxers since the 1920s as dementia pugilistica, or punch-drunk syndrome.
Luna Shyr
Luna Shyr
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web And is there really a difference between dementia pugilistica and chronic traumatic encephalopathy? John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 22 Jan. 2021 Over the decades, it was sometimes suggested that dementia pugilistica might befall professional football players, too. Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2020
John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 22 Jan. 2021 Over the decades, it was sometimes suggested that dementia pugilistica might befall professional football players, too. Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2020 Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin, "pugilistic dementia"
Note: The term was introduced by J.A. Millspaugh, a lieutenant in U.S. Navy Medical Corps, in "Dementia Pugilistica," United States Naval Medical Bulletin, vol. 35, no. 3 (July, 1937), pp. 297-303.
First Known Use
1938, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
dementia pugilistica
noun
dementia pu·gi·lis·ti·ca -ˌpyü-jə-ˈlis-tə-kə
: chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Brain degeneration from repeated blows to the head has been known in boxers since the 1920s as dementia pugilistica, or punch-drunk syndrome. Luna Shyr, National Geographic
Luna Shyr, National Geographic