Astereognosia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition describes a neurological deficit that inhibits the ability to identify objects through tactile sensations while other senses remain unaffected
2. A neurological disorder is characterized by the inability to recognize objects by touch, despite having intact sensory functions in other modalities
3. This condition refers to a loss of the ability to identify items through their tactile characteristics, while other senses continue to operate normally

Etymology: Astereognosia is a modern medical coinage, built in New Latin from three Greek elements: "a-" meaning "not", "stereo-" meaning "solid" or "three-dimensional", and "gnosis" meaning "knowing". Literally it means something like "not knowing solidity", the inability to recognise an object by handling it when the eyes are closed. The word belongs to the same family as "agnosia", the general term for failure of recognition, and the two are closely related in structure. The formation follows a pattern already established for the more familiar synonym "astereognosis", which uses the same Greek pieces with a different ending. Medical terminology of this kind was assembled deliberately from classical roots, so the word reflects the vocabulary of neurology rather than anything used by ancient Greek speakers. Its meaning is precise: the brain fails to link touch sensations to the identity of an object, even though the hand itself can still feel shape, texture and weight.

Synonyms: tactile agnosia