[ ˌkrɔɪtsfɛlt'jakɒb ]
■ noun a fatal degenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the brain, believed to be caused by a prion.
Phrases
new variant ~ a form of the disease characterized by an early age of onset and possibly linked to BSE.
Origin
1930s: named after the German neurologists H. G. Creutzfeldt and A. Jakob .