geriatric
geriatric Lexical Profile
geriatric Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to old people, especially with regard to their healthcare and medical treatment.
"She completed a specialized fellowship in geriatric nursing at the university hospital."
Very old, worn out, or outdated (used informally or humorously of a person or thing).
"The office finally replaced the geriatric printer that jammed every ten minutes."
• noun
An old person, especially one receiving special care (often used informally).
"The community center organizes weekly social events and exercise classes for local geriatrics."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'geriatric' is a standard, neutral clinical adjective in medical contexts (such as 'geriatric medicine'), using it as a noun ('a geriatric') or applying it to technology and general aging can carry a dismissive or derogatory tone.
• Rhymes for geriatric
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 20th century as a back-formation from 'geriatrics', which was introduced in 1909 by Austrian-born physician Ignatz Leo Nascher from Greek 'geras' (old age) and 'iatrikos' (relating to a physician), modeled after 'pediatrics'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.