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senile - 6 dictionary results
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se⋅nile
[see-nahyl, -nil, sen-ahyl] 
naɪl
–adjective
| 1. | showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning, esp. short-term memory and alertness, as a result of old age or disease. |
| 2. | of or belonging to old age or aged persons; gerontological; geriatric. |
| 3. | Physical Geography. (of topographical features) having been reduced by erosion to a featureless plain that stands everywhere at base level. Compare peneplain. |
–noun
| 4. | a senile person. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To senile
| se·nile (sē'nīl', sěn'īl') adj.
[Latin senīlis, from senex, sen-, old; see sen- in Indo-European roots.] se'nile'ly adv. Word History: In earlier writings one finds phrases such as "a senile maturity of judgment" and "green and vigorous senility," demonstrating that senile and senility have not always been burdened with their current negative connotations. These two words are examples of pejoration, the process by which a word's meaning changes for the worse over time. Even though senile (first recorded in 1661) and senility (first recorded in 1778) initially had neutral senses such as "pertaining to old age" (the sense of their Latin source, the adjective senīlis), it is probable that the mental decline that sometimes accompanies old age eventually caused negative senses to predominate. Although recent medical research has demonstrated that the memory and cognitive disorders once designated by senility are often caused by various diseases rather than the aging process itself, it seems unlikely that the word will regain its neutral senses. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Senile
Se"nile\, a. [L. senilis, from senex, gen. senis, old, an old man: cf. F. s['e]nile. See Senior.] Of or pertaining to old age; proceeding from, or characteristic of, old age; affected with the infirmities of old age; as, senile weakness. "Senile maturity of judgment." --Boyle. Senile gangrene (Med.), a form of gangrene occuring particularly in old people, and caused usually by insufficient blood supply due to degeneration of the walls of the smaller arteries.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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senile
1661, "suited to old age," from Fr. sénile, from L. senilis "of old age," from senex (gen. senis) "old, old man," from PIE base *sen- "old" (cf. Skt. sanah "old;" Avestan hana- "old;" O.Pers. hanata- "old age, lapse of time;" Armenian hin "old;" Gk. enos "old, of last year;" Lith. senas "old," senis "an old man;" Goth. sineigs "old" (used only of persons), sinistra "elder, senior;" O.N. sina "dry standing grass from the previous year;" O.Ir. sen, O.Welsh hen "old"). Meaning "weak or infirm from age" is first attested 1848.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: se·nile
Pronunciation: 'sEn-"Il also 'sen-
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, exhibiting, or characteristic of oldage <senile weakness>; especially : exhibiting a loss of mental faculties associated with old age
2 : being a cell that cannot undergo mitosis and isin the stage of declining functional capacities prior to the time of death senile red blood cell>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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senile se·nile (sē'nīl', sěn'īl')
adj.
- Relating to, characteristic of, or resulting from old age.
- Exhibiting the symptoms of senility, as impaired memory or the inability to perform certain mental tasks.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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