Down syndrome

English

WOTD – 7 October 2016

A father and his son with Down syndrome

Alternative forms

Down’s syndrome

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /daʊn ˈsɪndɹəʊm/
(General American) IPA^(key): /daʊn ˈsɪndɹoʊm/, /-dɹəm/
Audio (AU) (file)
Hyphenation: Down syn‧drome

Proper noun

Down syndrome

(neurology, chiefly US) A genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 (a chromosomal excess), whereby the patients bear a certain resemblance to the Mongoloid race, such as a small head and tilted eyelids, and typically have a delay in cognitive ability and physical growth. [from 1961.]

Usage notes

The condition is known only as Down's syndrome in the UK and Canada.

Synonyms

mongolism, Mongolian idiocy (now offensive)
trisomy 21

Translations

genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal excess

Arabic: مُتَلَازِمَة دَاوْن‎ f (mutalāzima(t) dāwn)
Catalan: síndrome de Down (ca) f
Chinese:
Cantonese: 唐氏綜合症, 唐氏综合症 (tong⁴ si⁶ zung³ hap⁶ zing³, tong⁴ si⁶ zung¹ hap⁶ zing³), 唐氏症 (tong⁴ si⁶ zing³)
Mandarin: 唐氏綜合症／唐氏综合症 (zh) (Tángshì zōnghézhèng), 唐氏症 (zh) (Tángshìzhèng)
Czech: Downův syndrom m
Danish: Downs syndrom n
Dutch: syndroom van Down n, downsyndroom (nl) n, mongolisme (nl) n
Estonian: Downi sündroom
Finnish: Downin oireyhtymä (fi), Downin syndrooma (fi)
French: syndrome de Down (fr) m, trisomie 21 (fr) f
German: Downsyndrom (de) n / Down-Syndrom (de) n, Trisomie 21 (de) f, Mongolismus (de) m (dated, now offensive)
Greek: σύνδρομο Down (el) n (sýndromo Down)
Hebrew: תסמונת דאון \\ תִּסְמֹנֶת דָּאוּן‎‎ (he) f (tismónet daun)
Hindi: डाउन सिंड्रोम (ḍāun siṇḍrom)
Hungarian: Down-szindróma (hu)
Indonesian: sindrom Down
Interlingua: syndrome de Down
Italian: sindrome del Down f
Japanese: ダウン症 (だうんしょう, Daun-shō)
Korean: 다운 증후군 (daun jeunghugun)
Malay: sindrom Down
Norwegian:
Bokmål: Downs syndrom n
Nynorsk: Downs syndrom n
Persian: سندرم داون‎
Polish: zespół Downa (pl) m
Portuguese: síndrome de Down (pt) f
Russian: синдром Дауна (ru) m (sindrom Dauna)
Spanish: síndrome de Down m
Swedish: Downs syndrom (sv) n
Telugu: డౌన్ సిండ్రోము (ḍaun siṇḍrōmu)
Turkish: Down sendromu
Vietnamese: hội chứng Down
Welsh: syndrom Down m or f