Phrase guide

Down syndrome

noun · 2 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: /daʊn ˈsɪndɹəʊm/
  • General-American: /daʊn ˈsɪndɹoʊm/
  • General-American: /-dɹəm/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 (a chromosomal excess), whereby the patients typically have a delay in cognitive ability and physical growth, as well as a small head and tilted eyelids.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New-Zealand, US, uncountable, usually

Qualifier: medical genetics

Topics: medicine, neurology, neuroscience, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Down's, mongolism, Mongolian idiocy, trisomy 21

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a congenital disorder caused by having an extra 21st chromosome; results in a flat face and short stature and mental retardation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mongolism, mongolianism, Down's syndrome, trisomy 21

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: birth defect, congenital anomaly, congenital defect, congenital disorder, congenital abnormality, trisomy

History

Etymology

Named after English physician John Langdon Haydon Down (1828–1896), who first described the condition as a distinct form of mental disability in the 1860s.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُتَلَازِمَة دَاوْن — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Catalan: síndrome de Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Chinese Cantonese: 唐氏綜合症 /唐氏综合症 (tong4 si6 zung3 hap6 zing3, tong4 si6 zung1 hap6 zing3) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Chinese Cantonese: 唐氏症 (tong4 si6 zing3) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Chinese Mandarin: 唐氏綜合症 /唐氏综合症 (Tángshì zōnghézhèng) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Chinese Mandarin: 唐氏症 (Tángshìzhèng) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Chinese Mandarin: 先天性愚型 (xiāntiānxìng yúxíng) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蒙古症 (Ménggǔzhèng) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Czech: Downův syndrom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Danish: Downs syndrom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Dutch: syndroom van Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Dutch: downsyndroom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Dutch: mongolisme — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Estonian: Downi sündroom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Finnish: Downin oireyhtymä — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Finnish: Downin syndrooma — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • French: syndrome de Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • French: trisomie 21 — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • German: Downsyndrom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • German: Down-Syndrom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • German: Trisomie 21 — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • German: Mongolismus — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Greek: σύνδρομο Down (sýndromo Down) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Hebrew: תסמונת דאון \ תִּסְמֹנֶת דָּאוּן (tismónet daun) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Hindi: डाउन सिंड्रोम (ḍāun siṇḍrom) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Hungarian: Down-szindróma — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Indonesian: sindrom Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Interlingua: syndrome de Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Italian: sindrome di Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Japanese: ダウン症 (Daun-shō) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Kazakh: Даун синдромы (Daun sindromy) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Korean: 다운 증후군 (daun jeunghugun) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Lithuanian: Dauno sindromas — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Malay: sindrom Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Norwegian Bokmål: Downs syndrom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: Downs syndrom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Persian: سندرم داون — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Polish: zespół Downa — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Portuguese: síndrome de Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Russian: синдром Дауна (sindrom Dauna) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Spanish: síndrome de Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Swedish: Downs syndrom — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Telugu: డౌన్ సిండ్రోము (ḍaun siṇḍrōmu) — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Turkish: Down sendromu — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Vietnamese: hội chứng Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess
  • Welsh: syndrom Down — genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess