Merriam Webster Word of the Day TREND WATCH " APHASIA " BRUCE WILLIS

Trending: ‘aphasia’
Lookups increased 6,000% after the announcement
Why are people looking up aphasia?

On March 30, 2022, the family of actor Bruce Willis announced that he would be stepping back from acting because of a recent diagnosis of aphasia, which they report is "impacting his cognitive abilities."
What does aphasia mean?

Aphasia is defined as:

   : loss or impairment of the power to use or comprehend words usually resulting from brain damage (as from a stroke, head injury, or infection)

This word pronounced as \uh-FAY-zhee-uh\ or \uh-FAY-zhuh\.
Where does aphasia come from?

Aphasia came to English from French; a French medical researcher coined the term using the Greek word parts a- meaning "not" or "without," and phásis, meaning "utterance, statement," ultimately from the Greek verb meaning "to say, speak."
What is notable about this use of aphasia?

The adjective derived from aphasia (used when referring to an utterance or a person afflicted with the condition) is aphasic, pronounced \uh-FAY-zik\.