dementia pugilistica

[ dih-men-shuh pyoo-juh-lis-ti-kuh, ‐shee-uh ]

noun

1. CTE ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of dementia pugilistica¹

First recorded in 1925–30; dementia ( def ) + pugilistica (from Latin pugil “boxer”; pugilism ( def ) ); the disease was first identified in boxers

Example Sentences

“A pension plan should take care of you for life,” said Ramos, who has several medical conditions, including dementia pugilistica, a type of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, linked to repeated head trauma.

From Los Angeles Times

DeKosky knew the disease as dementia pugilistica, however, and agreed with Omalu that they should rename it because Webster hadn’t been a boxer.

From Washington Post

Over the next 70 years, doctors around the globe encountered similar ailments in boxers, and the syndrome became commonly known as “dementia pugilistica.”

From Washington Post

CTE is a neurodegenerative disease initially termed “dementia pugilistica” in boxers by Dr. Harrison Stanford Martland in 1928.

From Scientific American

What’s now called CTE was once known as dementia pugilistica, or punch-drunk syndrome, for the boxers who suffered its ravages.

From Slate