Aphasia is a noun that refers to ‘a loss of the ability to speak.’

Our word of the day comes from the Greek word ahpatos (AH fah tose) which means ‘speechless.’ It entered the English language in the mid 19th century.

Aphasia is often used as a term for a medical diagnosis, but it may also be used more informally. For example: Meeting my favorite comedian was such an unnerving experience, I couldn’t put any coherent words together. That kind of aphasia has never happened to me before.