Tay-Sachs disease
a rare fatal hereditary disease, occurring chiefly in infants and children, especially of eastern European Jewish origin, characterized by a red spot on the retina, gradual blindness, and paralysis.
Origin of Tay-Sachs disease
1Words Nearby Tay-Sachs disease
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for Tay-Sachs disease
/ (ˌteɪˈsæks) /
an inherited disorder, caused by a faulty recessive gene, in which lipids accumulate in the brain, leading to mental retardation and blindness. It occurs mostly in Ashkenazi Jews
Origin of Tay-Sachs disease
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for Tay-Sachs disease
[ tā′săks′ ]
A genetic disease in which the products of fat metabolism accumulate in the nervous system, causing retardation, paralysis, and death by preschool age. Individuals of eastern European Jewish descent have a higher risk of inheriting Tay-Sachs disease. The disease is named after its describers, British ophthalmologist Warren Tay (1843-1927) and American neurologist Bernard Sachs (1858-1944).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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