Aphemia

/əˈfiːmiə/ noun

Definition

Loss or impairment of the ability to speak, typically caused by brain injury or stroke; an older term for expressive aphasia.

Etymology

From Greek a- (without) + pheme (speech) + -ia (condition). This term dates to the 19th century in neurology and psychology literature before the more specific term 'expressive aphasia' became standard.

Kelly Says

Aphemia was actually one of the first neurological conditions that proved speech isn't controlled by the heart (as ancient doctors believed) but by the brain—a landmark insight that changed medicine forever.

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