aphasia

From French aphasie, from Ancient Greek ἀφασία (aphasía), from ἄφατος (áphatos, “speechless”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + φάσις (phásis, “speech”). Equivalent to a- +‎ -phasia.

• IPA^(key): /əˈfeɪzɪə/, /əˈfeɪʒə/

aphasia (countable and uncountable, plural aphasias)

1. (pathology) A partial or total loss of language skills due to brain damage. Usually, damage to the left perisylvian region, including Broca's area and Wernicke's area, causes aphasia.
   • 1865, “Discussions upon Aphasia”, in Medical and Surgical Reporter‎, volume 8, page 197:

     The very disease aphasia is to most of us a new one; and we venture to say that even yet no one can give a satisfactory definition of Trousseau's new term.

   • 1865, J. T. Banks, “On the Loss of Language in Cerebral Disease”, in Dublin quarterly journal of medical science‎, volume 39, page 63:

     Of one form of aphasia we have an accurate description by Van Swieten, in his chapter on apoplexia:―"Vidi plures, qui ab apoplexiâ curati omnibus functionibus cerebri recte valebant, nisi quod deesset, hoc unicum, quod non possent vera rebus designandis vocabula invenire."

   • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, "The Conversion of Aurelian McGoggin" in Plain Tales from the Hills, Folio 2005, p. 76:

     The Doctor came over in three minutes, and heard the story. ‘It's aphasia,’ he said.

• monophasia

• specific language impairment
• word salad