dement

D2E1M3E1N1T1
UK/dɪˈmɛnt/US/dəˈmɛnt/US/diˈmɛnt/

adjective

Demented.

OriginVulgar Latin dēmentō ← Latin dēmēns ← Proto-Italic *mentis →
UncommonFirst used 15th c.Scrabble 9
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Meanings

dement1

adjectivedement (comparative more dement, superlative most dement)

comparative more dement · superlative most dement

  1. archaicDemented.First known use 15th c.
verbdement (third-person singular simple present dements, present participle dementing, simple past and past participle demented)

present singular third person dements · participle present dementing · participle past demented · past demented

  1. transitiveTo make (someone) demented; to drive mad.First known use 16th c.
  2. intransitivemental healthmedicineTo show signs of dementia; to develop dementia.First known use 19th c.
noundement (plural dements)

plural dements

  1. archaicmedicineSomeone afflicted with dementia.First known use 19th c.

    The patients are more or less chronic dements, sufficiently harmless and trustworthy to be employed in farm labour and sufficiently intelligent to be of use.

    1921, Montagu Lomax, The Experiences of an Asylum Doctor, London: Allen & Unwin, page 115

Dement2

proper nounDement (plural Dements)

plural Dements

  1. A surname.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
becrazetouch

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindē
  5. Latindē-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*men-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*méntis
  8. Proto-Italic*mentis
  9. Latinmēns
  10. Latindēmēns
  11. Vulgar Latindēmentō
  12. Englishdement

Borrowed from Middle French dement, from Latin demens; verb from Vulgar Latin dementare (“to deceive; to drive mad”), also from Latin dēmēns (“demented, mad”).

More words from Middle French, Latin, Vulgar Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with dement

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All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

dement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dement

MLA

“dement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dement. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dement,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dement.

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