Alzheimer's disease

UK: /ˈæltsˌhaɪməz/

US: /ˈælzhaɪmɚz, ˈɑlts-, ˈɔlz-, ˈɔlts-/

US: (älts′hī mərz, alts′-, ôlts′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ˈAlz•hei•mer's disˌease /ˈælzhaɪmɚz, ˈɑlts-, ˈɔlz-, ˈɔlts-/  n. [uncountable]

1. Pathology a disease usually beginning in late middle age, characterized by progressive memory loss and mental deterioration.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

Alz′hei•mer's disease′  (älts′hī mərz, alts′-, ôlts′-), [Pathol.]

1. Pathology a common form of dementia of unknown cause, usually beginning in late middle age, characterized by memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability, and progressive loss of mental ability.

• named after Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915), German neurologist, who described it in 1907

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Alzheimer's disease / ˈæltsˌhaɪməz/ noun

1. a disorder of the brain resulting in a progressive decline in intellectual and physical abilities and eventual dementia
   Often shortened to: Alzheimer's

Etymology: 20th Century: named after A. Alzheimer (1864–1915), German physician who first identified it