aphasia

noun

apha·​sia ə-ˈfā-zh(ē-)ə How to pronounce aphasia (audio)
medical : loss or impairment of the power to use or comprehend words usually resulting from brain damage (as from a stroke, head injury, or infection)
Aphasia, the cruel illness resulting from a stroke, allowed Jean to understand what was said to her but prevented her from clearly replying.Robert Giroux
aphasic noun or adjective

Examples of aphasia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Men and women are affected equally by aphasia, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 26 Feb. 2024 Right now there is no cure for aphasia, but speech and language therapy can help some patients. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024 Her care team announced in a press release Thursday that the TV host has frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 22 Feb. 2024 Following her aphasia and FTD diagnosis, Williams has been working with specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 Other causes include: Stroke Severe head injury Tumor Infection What are the symptoms? Symptoms can vary based on the type of aphasia someone has, according to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 While aphasia affects language and communication abilities, dementia impacts behavior and cognitive functions. Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024 Ahead of the project's release, a spokesperson for Williams’ care team revealed her dementia and aphasia diagnosis. Shania Russell, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2024 Williams, 59, has been diagnosed with dementia and aphasia, her representatives announced last week. Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aphasia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French aphasie, from a- a- entry 2 + Greek phásis "utterance, statement" (from pha-, variant stem of phēmí, phánai "to say, speak" + -sis -sis) + French -ie -ia entry 1 — more at ban entry 1

Note: French aphasie was introduced by the physician Armand Trousseau (1801-67) in "De l'aphasie, maladie décrite récemment sous le nom impropre de l'aphémie," Gazette des hôpitaux civils et militaires, tome 37, issue of January 12, 1864, pp. 13-14. As is evident from the title, Trousseau preferred aphasie to the term aphémie, introduced earlier by physician and anthropologist Pierre Paul Broca (1824-80). Broca replied in defense of his coinage in a letter published in the same periodical on January 23. The controversy, with translated extracts from Gazette des hôpitaux, is summarized by John Ryalls in "Where does the term 'aphasia' come from?," Brain and Language, vol. 21 (1984), pp. 358-63. Though Trousseau's arguments are linguistically not at all sound, his choice has nonetheless prevailed.

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aphasia was in 1864

Dictionary Entries Near aphasia

Cite this Entry

“Aphasia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aphasia. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

aphasia

noun
apha·​sia ə-ˈfā-zh(ē-)ə How to pronounce aphasia (audio)
: loss or impairment of the power to use or comprehend words usually resulting from brain damage (as from a stroke, head injury, or infection) see motor aphasia compare amusia, anarthria

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