Senility is the mental decline that can come with great age. Slip into senility.
The word is old-fashioned in medicine now, since doctors name the particular condition instead. Senility is also used loosely and unkindly of anybody forgetful.
1nounsenilityThe mental decline that can come with great age.
“They put every mistake down to senility and missed the real illness.”
senility is a decline.
Proto-Indo-European
*sénos — old
Latin
senīlis — of or pertaining to old age
Old French
senile
Middle French
senile
French
sénile
English
senile
English, today
senility
Built from
From senile + -ity. senile 1660s; borrowed from French sénile, from Middle French senile, from Old French senile, from Latin senīlis (“of or pertaining to old age”), from senex (“old man”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sénos (“old”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA