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dementia

a progressive decline in memory, thinking, and reasoning ability

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Where does the word "dementia" come from? It comes from Latin de mente, passing through Latin before entering English (1800s).

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Where does the word "dementia" come from? It comes from Latin de mente, passing through Latin before entering English (1800s).

Dementia’s story begins in Latin: de mente meant “away from the mind.” Away from the mind, from de- (away from) and mens (mind). Within Latin, it grew into dementia by ancient. Formed as a noun for the state of being out of one's mind. It reached English by 1800s as dementia. Alois Alzheimer described the disease named after him in 1906. Today, dementia means a progressive decline in memory, thinking, and reasoning ability.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient de mente "away from the mind", away from the mind, from de- (away from) and mens (mind).
  2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient dementia "madness, a state of being out of one's mind", formed as a noun for the state of being out of one's mind.
  3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s dementia "a progressive decline in memory and cognitive ability", Alois Alzheimer described the disease named after him in 1906.

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