Down syndrome
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Alternative forms
- Down’s syndrome (chiefly in the UK and Canada)
Etymology
Named after John Langdon Haydon Down (1828–1896), an English physician who first described the condition as a distinct form of mental disability in the 1860s.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /daʊn ˈsɪndɹəʊm/
- (General American) IPA(key): /daʊn ˈsɪndɹoʊm/, /-dɹəm/
Audio (General Australian): (file) - Hyphenation: Down syn‧drome
Noun
Down syndrome (uncountable) (chiefly US, Australia, New Zealand)
- (neurology, medical genetics) A genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 (a chromosomal excess), whereby the patients typically have a delay in cognitive ability and physical growth, as well as a small head and tilted eyelids. [from 1961.]
Usage notes
The condition is known only as Down's syndrome in the UK and Canada.
Synonyms
- Down's (informal)
- mongolism, Mongolian idiocy (now offensive)
- trisomy 21
Derived terms
Translations
genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
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Further reading
Down syndrome on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
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