ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dyslexia

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //dɪˈsɫɛksiə// UK //dɪslˈɛksiə// dys·lexia

n. a learning difficulty that makes it hard for someone to read, write, or spell. It does not mean the person is not smart; their brain just processes words and letters differently.

n. a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities. Often involves a deficit in the phonological component of language.


SIMPLE

Students with dyslexia often need extra time during exams.

CONTEXTUAL

The school provides specialized reading software to help students with dyslexia keep up with their classmates.

COMPLEX

While dyslexia is primarily associated with reading challenges, many individuals develop exceptional problem-solving skills and creative thinking patterns as compensatory strategies for their linguistic difficulties.

Origin

Learned borrowing from French dyslexie and/or German Dyslexie, coined by German ophthalmologist Rudolf Berlin in 1887, from dys- + lexis + -ia, from Ancient Greek δυσ- (dus-) + λέξις (léxis, “diction”, “word”), from Ancient Greek λέγω (légō, “to speak”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leg- (“to collect, gather; to speak”). The term was coined with λέξις (léxis) being taken to mean "reading," likely due to semantic conflation of Greek λέγω (légō, “to speak”) and Latin legō (“to read”). By surface analysis, dys + lex(is) + -ia.

Usage

Typically used without an article when referring to the condition in general.

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