Wernicke's encephalopathy

noun

The presence of neurological symptoms — classically, ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and confusion — caused by biochemical lesions of the central nervous system after exhaustion of B-vitamin reserves, in particular thiamine.

Similar
Wernicke's disease
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Meanings

nounWernicke's encephalopathy (uncountable)
  1. uncountablemedicineThe presence of neurological symptoms — classically, ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and confusion — caused by biochemical lesions of the central nervous system after exhaustion of B-vitamin reserves, in particular thiamine.

    Synonyms: Wernicke's disease

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe presence of neurological symptoms — classically, ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and confusion — caused by biochemical lesions of the central nervous system after exhaustion of B-vitamin reserves, in particular thiamine.

Similar
Wernicke's disease
Also see
wernicke's disease

Origin

Named after Carl Wernicke (1848–1905), German physician.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Wernicke's encephalopathy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wernicke's%20encephalopathy

MLA

“Wernicke's encephalopathy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wernicke's%20encephalopathy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Wernicke's encephalopathy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wernicke's%20encephalopathy.

Source: Wernicke's encephalopathy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.