dementia

de·men·tia  (d-mnsh)

n.

1. Deterioration of intellectual faculties, such as memory, concentration, and judgment, resulting from an organic disease or a disorder of the brain. It is sometimes accompanied by emotional disturbance and personality changes.

2. Madness; insanity. See Synonyms at insanity.

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[Latin dmentia, madness, from dmns, dment-, senseless; see dement.]

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de·mential adj.

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dementia [dim-men-sha]

Noun

a state of serious mental deterioration [Latin: madness]

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dementia  (d-mnsh)

Deterioration of intellectual faculties, such as memory, concentration, and judgment, sometimes accompanied by emotional disturbance and personality changes. Dementia is caused by organic damage to the brain (as in Alzheimer's disease), head trauma, metabolic disorders, or the presence of a tumor.

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dementia

madness or insanity. Cf. amentia.

See also: Insanity

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

dementia - mental deterioration of organic or functional origin dementedness insanity - relatively permanent disorder of the mind alcohol amnestic disorder, alcoholic dementia, Korsakoff's psychosis, Korsakoff's syndrome, Korsakov's psychosis, Korsakov's syndrome, polyneuritic psychosis - dementia observed during the last stages of severe chronic alcoholism; involves loss of memory for recent events although long term memory is intact presenile dementia - dementia with onset before the age of 65 senile dementia, senile psychosis - dementia of the aged; results from degeneration of the brain in the absence of cerebrovascular disease