Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A hereditary disease that affects young children almost exclusively of eastern European Jewish descent, in which an enzyme deficiency leads to the accumulation of gangliosides in the brain and nerve tissue, resulting in mental retardation, convulsions, blindness, and, ultimately, death.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[After Warren Tay, (1843–1927), British physician, and Bernard, Sachs, (1858–1944), American neurologist.]
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Tay-Sachs disease.
Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.