senile

See also: sénile

English

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsiːnaɪl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsinaɪl/
• Rhymes: -aɪl

Adjective

senile (comparative more senile, superlative most senile)

1. Of, or relating to old age.
   • 2013 May-June, Charles T. Ambrose, “Alzheimer’s Disease”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 200:

     Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems— […]. Such a slow-release device containing angiogenic factors could be placed on the pia mater covering the cerebral cortex and tested in persons with senile dementia in long term studies.

2. (often offensive) Exhibiting the deterioration in mind and body often accompanying old age; doddering.
   • 2019, Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys, Fleet, page 183:

     Her mother was senile, but they called it dementia now.

Antonyms

• juvenile

Derived terms

• nonsenile
• presenile
• senile angioma
• senile dementia
• senile gangrene
• senilely
• senile wart
• senility
• senilize

 

Related terms

• senate
• senator
• senescence
• senior
• seniority

Translations

of, or relating to old age

• Armenian: ծերունական (hy) sg (cerunakan), ծերունականներ pl (cerunakanner)
• Belarusian: ста́рчы m (stárčy), ста́рчыя m pl (stárčyja), ста́рчая f (stárčaja), ста́рчыя f pl (stárčyja), ста́рчае n (stárčaje), ста́рчыя n pl (stárčyja), ста́рчыя pl (stárčyja), старэ́ць impf (starécʹ), пастарэ́ць pf (pastarécʹ)
• Breton: kabac'h (br)
• Bulgarian: старчески (bg) (starčeski)
• Catalan: senil
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 年老的

• Czech: stařecký (cs) m, stařečtí m pl, stařecká f, stařecké f pl, stařecké n, stařecká n pl, stařecké pl, stárnout (cs) impf, zestárnout pf
• Danish: alderdoms-
• Dutch: ouderdoms-
• Esperanto: senila sg, senilaj pl
• Finnish: vanhuuden (fi)
• French: sénile (fr) m, séniles (fr) m pl, sénile (fr) f, séniles (fr) f pl, séniles (fr) pl
• German: senil (de) m, senile (de) m pl, senil (de) f, senile (de) f pl, senil (de) n, senile (de) n pl, senile (de) pl
• Greek: γεροντικός (el) m (gerontikós)
• Higaonon: binongaw
• Hungarian: szenilis (hu) sg, szenilisek pl
• Ilocano: lakayen
• Indonesian: pikun (id)
• Irish: seanaoise
• Japanese: 老年の (ja) (rōnen no)
• Latin: senīlis
• Manx: shenn-eashagh
• Polish: starczy (pl)
• Portuguese: senil (pt)
• Russian: ста́рый (ru) (stáryj), ста́рческий (ru) (stárčeskij), престаре́лый (ru) (prestarélyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: aosda, aosmhor
• Spanish: senil (es)
• Telugu: ముసలితనపు (musalitanapu)
• Welsh: henaint

exhibiting the deterioration in mind

• Armenian: զառամ (hy) (zaṙam), զառամյալ (hy) (zaṙamyal)
• Belarusian: старэ́чы (staréčy)
• Breton: kabac'h (br)
• Bulgarian: сенилен (bg) m (senilen), изкуфял (bg) m (izkufjal)
• Catalan: senil
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 老年痴呆 (zh) (lǎonián chīdāi)

• Czech: senilní (cs)
• Danish: senil
• Dutch: seniel (nl)
• Esperanto: olda (eo)
• Finnish: seniili (fi), vanhuudenhöperö (fi)
• French: sénile (fr)
• German: senil (de)
• Greek: ξεμωραμένος (el) m (xemoraménos)
• Higaonon: kaway
• Hungarian: szenilis (hu)
• Ilocano: bumaket, kabaw
• Indonesian: pikun (id)
• Irish: siabhránach
• Italian: barbogio m, senile (it), rimbambito (it), rincoglionito (it)
• Macedonian: изветреан m (izvetrean), излапен m (izlapen), сенилен m (senilen)
• Malay: nyanyuk
• Polish: zniedołężniały
• Portuguese: senil (pt)
• Russian: дря́хлый (ru) (drjáxlyj), сени́льный (ru) (senílʹnyj), ста́рческий (ru) (stárčeskij)
• Scots: doitit
• Spanish: senil (es), chocho (es), chocheante, gagá (es)
• Swedish: senil (sv)
• Tagalog: ulianin, ulyanin
• Turkish: bunak (tr)
• Welsh: heneiddiol

Noun

senile (plural seniles)

1. (dated, medicine) A person who is senile.
   • 1979, Oscar J. Kaplan, Psychopathology of Aging, page 54:

     Seniles differ markedly in their early adult intelligence level, and in their social, vocational, and educational histories.

Further reading

• “senile”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “senile”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Inslee, enisle, ensile, lienes, silene

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

senile

1. inflection of senil:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Etymology

From Latin senīlis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seˈni.le/
• Rhymes: -ile
• Hyphenation: se‧nì‧le

Adjective

senile (plural senili)

1. senile

Derived terms

• senilità
• senilmente

Anagrams

• lesine

Latin

Adjective

senīle

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of senīlis

Old French

Etymology

From Latin senīlis.

Adjective

senile m (oblique and nominative feminine singular senile)

1. relating to old age

Declension

Declension of senile

Number	Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Singular	Subject	seniles	senile	senile
	Oblique	senile	senile	senile
Plural	Subject	senile	seniles	senile
	Oblique	seniles	seniles	senile

Descendants

• French: sénile
  • → English: senile

Swedish

Adjective

senile

1. definite natural masculine singular of senil