Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
noundeath when respiration and other reflexes are absent; consciousness is gone; organs can be removed for transplantation before the heartbeat stops
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Coined by the Harvard physician Henry K. Beecher in the historical context of the Sixties counterculture and life extension technology of the late twentieth century.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans breindood
- breindoodirreversible cessation of brain activity
Arabic موت دماغي
- موت دماغيirreversible cessation of brain activity
Catalan mort cerebral
- mort cerebralirreversible cessation of brain activity
Chinese Mandarin 腦死亡 /脑死亡
- 腦死亡 /脑死亡 (nǎosǐwáng)irreversible cessation of brain activity
Danish hjernedød
- hjernedødirreversible cessation of brain activity
Dutch hersendood
- hersendoodirreversible cessation of brain activity
Esperanto cerba morto
- cerba mortoirreversible cessation of brain activity
Finnish aivokuolema
- aivokuolemairreversible cessation of brain activity
French mort cérébrale
- mort cérébraleirreversible cessation of brain activity
German Hirntod
- Hirntodirreversible cessation of brain activity
Greek εγκεφαλικός θάνατος
- εγκεφαλικός θάνατος (egkefalikós thánatos)irreversible cessation of brain activity
Hebrew מוות מוחי
- מוות מוחיirreversible cessation of brain activity
Hindi मस्तिष्क मृत्यु
- मस्तिष्क मृत्यु (mastiṣk mŕtyu)irreversible cessation of brain activity
Hungarian agyhalál
- agyhalálirreversible cessation of brain activity
Icelandic heiladauði
- heiladauðiirreversible cessation of brain activity
Indonesian kematian otak
- kematian otakirreversible cessation of brain activity
Irish bás inchinne
- bás inchinneirreversible cessation of brain activity
Italian morte cerebrale
- morte cerebraleirreversible cessation of brain activity
Japanese 脳死
- 脳死 (nōshi)irreversible cessation of brain activity
Korean 뇌사
- 뇌사 (noesa)irreversible cessation of brain activity
Latvian smadzeņu nāve
- smadzeņu nāveirreversible cessation of brain activity
Lithuanian smegenų mirtis
- smegenų mirtisirreversible cessation of brain activity
Malay mati otak
- mati otakirreversible cessation of brain activity
Norwegian hjernedød
- hjernedødirreversible cessation of brain activity
Persian مرگ مغزی
- مرگ مغزیirreversible cessation of brain activity
Polish śmierć mózgu
- śmierć mózguirreversible cessation of brain activity
Portuguese morte cerebral, morte encefálica
- morte cerebralirreversible cessation of brain activity
- morte encefálicairreversible cessation of brain activity
Spanish muerte cerebral, muerte encefálica
- muerte cerebralirreversible cessation of brain activity
- muerte encefálicairreversible cessation of brain activity
Swedish hjärndöd
- hjärndödirreversible cessation of brain activity
Turkish beyin ölümü
- beyin ölümüirreversible cessation of brain activity
Ukrainian смерть мозку
- смерть мозку (smertʹ mozku)irreversible cessation of brain activity
Vietnamese chết não
- chết nãoirreversible cessation of brain activity
Cite this entry
brain death. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brain%20death
“brain death.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brain%20death. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brain death,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brain%20death.
Source: brain death on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.