amentia

Meanings

nounamentia (countable and uncountable, plural amentias)

plural amentias

countableuncountableMental impairment; state of being mentally handicapped.
Cretinism is a form of amentia, which is endemic in certain districts, especially in some of the valleys of Switzerland, Savoy, and France.
1922, W. G. Aitchison Robertson, Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 9th edition

Synonyms & antonyms

nounextreme mental retardation

Similar

idiocy

Broader

retardation mental retardation backwardness

Also see

idiocy

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Latināmentia“madness; senselessness”
Englishamentia

From Latin āmentia (“madness; senselessness”), from āmēns (“mad, insane; foolish”), from ab (“from, away from”) + mēns (“mind”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian вродено слабоумие

вродено слабоумие (vrodeno slaboumie)the state of being mentally handicapped

Finnish amentia

amentiathe state of being mentally handicapped

German Amentia, Schwachsinn

Amentiathe state of being mentally handicapped
Schwachsinnthe state of being mentally handicapped

Italian amenza

amenzathe state of being mentally handicapped

Polish amencja

amencjathe state of being mentally handicapped

Portuguese amência

amênciathe state of being mentally handicapped

Russian слабоу́мие, аме́нция

слабоу́мие (slaboúmije)the state of being mentally handicapped
аме́нция (améncija)the state of being mentally handicapped

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

animate metania Meatian aminate

Cite this entry

APA

amentia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amentia

MLA

“amentia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amentia. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “amentia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amentia.

Source: amentia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.