Down syndrome
Down's syndrome
Definition of Down syndrome
: a congenital condition characterized especially by mental retardation, short stature, upward slanting eyes, a flattened nasal bridge, broad hands with short fingers, decreased muscle tone, and by trisomy of the human chromosome numbered 21 —called also trisomy 21
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Origin and Etymology of down syndrome
J. L. H. Down †1896 English physician
First Known Use: 1961
DOWN SYNDROME Defined for English Language Learners
Down syndrome
Definition of Down syndrome for English Language Learners
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medical : a condition that someone is born with and that causes below average mental abilities and problems in physical development
Medical Dictionary
Down syndrome
Down's syndrome
Medical Definition of Down syndrome
: a congenital condition characterized especially by mental retardation, short stature, relatively small head, upward slanting eyes usually with epicanthal folds, flattened nasal bridge, broad hands with short fingers, decreased muscle tone, and by trisomy of the human chromosome numbered 21—called also Down, Down's, trisomy 21
Biographical Note for down syndrome
Down
\ˈdau̇n\play , John Langdon Haydon
(1828–1896), British physician. Down published in 1866 a treatise on the degeneration of race as a result of marriages of consanguinity. He classified individuals exhibiting mental retardation according to the supposed physiognomic features of various races including the American Indian, Caucasian, Ethiopian, and Mongolian. His classification was invalid, but one kind of moderate to severe mental retardation came to be known as mongolism, although it is now called Down syndrome or Down's syndrome.
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See words that rhyme with Down syndrome Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Down syndrome
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