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mongolianism

mongolianism

9.9
An offensive old word for Down syndrome that describes a condition present at birth causing learning difficulties and short height
  • noun
  • /mɒŋˈɡoʊliənɪzəm/
  • Slur
: [término ofensivo para el síndrome de Down]
  • Early 20th-century medical texts sometimes referred to Down syndrome as mongolianism.

Examples

  • The term mongolianism is now considered offensive and is no longer used in medical contexts.

  • She researched the history of how mongolianism was once described in clinical literature.

  • The term mongolianism is now considered outdated.

  • Many people were unaware of the history behind mongolianism.

  • Early 20th-century medical texts sometimes referred to Down syndrome as mongolianism.

  • In her thesis, she examined how mongolianism was treated in historical medical literature.

  • The classification of mongolianism has evolved, and it is now viewed as offensive.

Synonyms

Down's syndrome
vsmongolianism
  • UK
37 3.6

A condition caused by an extra chromosome that makes people have certain facial features, short height and learning difficulties

is an offensive historical name rather than a regional or possessive variant
trisomy 21
vsmongolianism
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A condition present at birth caused by an extra 21st chromosome that affects learning and development

is an offensive historical label rather than a neutral scientific term
Down syndrome
vsmongolianism
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A condition present at birth caused by an extra chromosome that makes learning harder and gives typical physical features

is an offensive historical name now replaced by the neutral modern name

Surface Forms

mongolianism singular
mongolianisms plural

Morphology

mongolianism = Mongolian (opaque) = Mongol + ian + ism

The word is formally built from 'Mongolian' + '-ism', but the historical medical sense is not a predictable or productive meaning of that pattern.

Etymology

The word mongolianism comes from a 19th-century idea that people with what we now call Down syndrome had facial features thought to be like people from Mongolia, so doctors named the condition after that place. That name is based on a wrong and hurtful idea, so mongolianism is now considered offensive and has been replaced by Down syndrome.