Standard Lemma guide

dement

adj · name · noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈmɛnt/
  • General-American: /dəˈmɛnt/
  • General-American: /diˈmɛnt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛnt
  • CMU ARPABET: D AH0 M EH1 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Demented.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone afflicted with dementia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To make (someone) demented; to drive mad.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To show signs of dementia; to develop dementia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h1 Proto-Indo-European *déh1 Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē- Proto-Indo-European *men- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *méntis Proto-Italic *mentis Latin mēns Latin dēmēns Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Vulgar Latin dēmentōder. English dement Borrowed from Middle French dement, from Latin demens; verb from Vulgar Latin dementare (“to deceive; to drive mad”), also from Latin dēmēns (“demented, mad”).