Alzheimer

See also: alzheimer and alzhéimer

English

Noun

Alzheimer (plural Alzheimers)

1. (medicine, rare) Somebody with Alzheimer's disease.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:Alzheimer.

Derived terms

• Alzheimerian

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaltshaɪ̯mər/, [ˈʔalt͡sˌhaɪ̯.mɐ], (more casual) [ˈʔal.t͡saɪ̯.mɐ]

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Alz‧hei‧mer

Etymology 1

A form of Altesheim (“old hamlet”) +‎ -er; see altes and Heim.

Proper noun

Alzheimer m or f (proper noun, strong, genitive Alzheimers or (with an article) Alzheimer, plural Alzheimers or Alzheimer)

1. a surname

Etymology 2

Named after Alois Alzheimer.

Noun

Alzheimer n or m (strong, genitive Alzheimers or Alzheimer, no plural)

1. Alzheimer's disease

   Synonyms: Alzheimer-Krankheit, Alzheimersche Krankheit; Alzheimer-Erkrankung, Alzheimersche Erkrankung; Alzheimer-Syndrom, Alzheimersches Syndrom

Usage notes

• Alzheimer is the usual form in German and is not particularly informal. The compounds listed are used chiefly for clarity. In formal style they are also preferable when the word is construed with a determiner or adjective. Thus, eine schwere Alzheimer-Erkrankung (“a grave form of Alzheimer's disease”), for which less formally also schweres Alzheimer (or for some speakers schwerer Alzheimer).

Declension

Declension of Alzheimer [sg-only, neuter // masculine, strong]

	singular
	indef.	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das, der	Alzheimer
genitive	eines	des	Alzheimers, Alzheimer
dative	einem	dem	Alzheimer
accusative	ein, einen	das, den	Alzheimer

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: алцхаймер (alchajmer)
• → Russian: Альцге́ймер (Alʹcgéjmer)
• → Chinese: 阿爾茨海默 / 阿尔茨海默 (Āěrcíhǎimò) (transliteration)

Further reading

• “Alzheimer”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)
• “Alzheimer” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Alzheimer” in Duden online

Italian

Noun

Alzheimer m (invariable)

1. (medicine) Alzheimer's disease

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• alzheimer

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /awˈzaj.meʁ/ [aʊ̯ˈzaɪ̯.meh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /awˈzaj.meʁ/ [aʊ̯ˈzaɪ̯.meh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /awˈzaj.meɾ/ [aʊ̯ˈzaɪ̯.meɾ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /awˈzaj.meʁ/ [aʊ̯ˈzaɪ̯.meχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /awˈzaj.meɻ/ [aʊ̯ˈzaɪ̯.meɻ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /alˈzaj.mɛɾ/ [aɫˈzaj.mɛɾ]

• Rhymes: -ajmeʁ, -ajmɛɾ

Noun

Alzheimer m (uncountable)

1. ellipsis of mal de Alzheimer: Alzheimer's

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alˈθeimeɾ/ [al̟ˈθei̯.meɾ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /alˈseimeɾ/ [alˈsei̯.meɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)
  • Rhymes: -eimeɾ
• IPA^(key): /ˈaltshajma/ [ˈal̪t̪shai̯.ma]
  • Rhymes: -altshajma
• Syllabification: Alz‧hei‧mer

Noun

Alzheimer m (uncountable)

1. ellipsis of enfermedad de Alzheimer

Further reading

• “Alzheimer”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025