# mental
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmɛn.təl/
* IPA: [ˈmɛɾ̃ɘl], [ˈmɛnɘl]
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛntəl

### Etymology 1

Borrowing from Middle French mental, from Late Latin mentālis, from mēns (“mind, disposition; heart, soul”) +‎ -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

#### Adjective

mental (comparative more mental, superlative most mental)
* (relational) Of or relating to the mind or specifically the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality.
** Of or relating to intellectual as contrasted with emotional activity.
    mental acuity
** Of, relating to, or being intellectual as contrasted with overt physical activity.
*** 2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34:Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.
** Occurring or experienced in the mind.
*** 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “The Unexpected”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 240:I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, […], the neurotic victims of mental cirrhosis, the jewelled animals whose moral code is the code of the barnyard—!
    Synonym: inner
** Relating to the mind, its activity, or its products as an object of study.
    mental science
    Synonym: ideological
** Relating to spirit or idea as opposed to matter.
*** the distinction between physical things and mental ideas
* Of, relating to, or affected by a psychiatric disorder.
    a mental patient
** (relational) Intended for the care or treatment of persons affected by psychiatric disorders.
    mental hospitals
** (colloquial, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, dated in the US, Canada, comparable) Mentally disordered; insane, mad, crazy.
    He is the most mental freshman I've seen yet.
    He went mental on us.
* (colloquial, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, comparable) Enjoyable or fun, especially in a frenetic way.
    That was a mental party last night.
* Of or relating to telepathic or mind-reading powers.
    mental telepathy

##### Derived terms

* amental
* bimental
* extramental
* go mental
* inframental
* intermental
* intramental
* mental aberration
* mental acrobatics
* mental age
* mental arithmetic
* mental asylum
* mental block
* mental breakdown
* mental calculation
* mental calculator
* mental case
* mental cruelty
* mental deficient
* mental disease
* mental disorder
* mental-disordered
* mentalese
* mental gymnast
* mental gymnastics
* mental health
* mental home
* mental hospital
* mental hygiene
* mental illness
* mental image
* mental inquest warrant
* mental institution
* mentalism
* mentalist
* mentality
* mentalize, mentalise
* mentally
* mental masturbation
* mental mediumship
* mental midget
* mental model
* mental patient
* mental reservation
* mental retardation
* neuromental
* nonmental
* physico-mental
* physiomental
* positive mental attitude
* psychomental
* supramental

##### Translations
#### Noun

mental (plural mentals)
* (slang) State of mind; ellipsis of mental state.
    y'all need to fix your mentals

### Etymology 2

c. 1727, from Latin mentum (“the chin”) +‎ -al.

#### Adjective

mental (not comparable)
* (anatomy, relational) Of or relating to the chin or median part of the lower jaw, genial.
    Synonyms: genial, genian
    the mental nerve, the mental region
* (biology, relational) Of or relating to the chinlike or liplike structure.

##### Derived terms

* basilomental
* cardosubmental
* cervicomental
* corneomental
* frontomental
* gulamental
* hyomental
* inframental
* labiomental
* mental artery
* mental foramen
* mental nerve
* mental protuberance
* nasomental
* occipitomental
* palmomental
* pollicomental
* postmental
* premental
* sternomental
* submental
* thyromental
* verticomental

##### Translations
#### Noun

mental (plural mentals)
* (zootomy) A plate or scale covering the mentum or chin of a fish or reptile.

### References

* “mental”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
* “mental”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

### Further reading

* “mental”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “mental”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

### Anagrams

* mantel, Lament., lament, mantle, Mantel, manlet, Mantle

## Asturian
### Etymology

From Late Latin mentālis from Latin mēns; equivalent to mente +‎ -al.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /menˈtal/ [mẽn̪ˈt̪al]
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: men‧tal

### Adjective

mental (epicene, plural mentales)
* mental

#### Related terms

* mente

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin mentālis, from Latin mēns; equivalent to ment +‎ -al.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [mənˈtal]
* IPA: (Valencia) [menˈtal]
* Rhymes: -al
* Hyphenation: men‧tal

### Adjective

mental m or f (masculine and feminine plural mentals)
* mental

#### Derived terms

* mentalitat
* mentalment

#### Related terms

* ment

### Further reading

* “mental” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “mental”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “mental” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “mental” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Cebuano
### Etymology

Clipping of English mental hospital.

### Noun

mental
* mental hospital

### Verb

mental
* to send or commit to a mental hospital

## French
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin mentālis (“of the mind, mental”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mɑ̃.tal/
* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

mental (feminine mentale, masculine plural mentaux, feminine plural mentales)
* (relational) mind; mental

#### Derived terms

* carte mentale
* malade mental
* malade mentale
* maladie mentale
* mentalement

#### Descendants

* Haitian Creole: mantal
* → Turkish: mantal

### Noun

mental m (uncountable)
* mind
    Elle a un mental d’acier. ― She has a mind of steel.

### Further reading

* “mental”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* lament, mêlant

## Galician
### Etymology

From Late Latin mentālis, from Latin mēns; equivalent to mente +‎ -al.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /menˈtal/ [mẽn̪ˈt̪ɑɫ]
* IPA: /mɛnˈtal/ [mɛ̃n̪ˈt̪ɑɫ]
* Rhymes: -al
* Hyphenation: men‧tal

### Adjective

mental m or f (plural mentais)
* mental

#### Derived terms

* mentalmente

#### Related terms

* mente

### Further reading

* “mental” in DIGALEGO - Dicionario de Galego, Ir Indo 2004, Xunta de Galicia 2013.
* “mental”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “mental”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

## German
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mentālis.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mɛnˈtaːl]
* Audio (Berlin):(file)
* Rhymes: -aːl

### Adjective

mental (strong nominative masculine singular mentaler, not comparable)
* mental

#### Declension
## Indonesian
### Etymology 1

From Dutch mentaal, from Middle French mental, from Late Latin mentālis (“of the mind, mental”), from Latin mēns (“the mind”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈmɛntal]
* Hyphenation: mèn‧tal

#### Adjective

mental
* mental: of or relating to the mind or an intellectual process.

#### Noun

mental
* mind.
    Synonyms: batin, watak

#### Related terms

* mentalitas

### Etymology 2

From Betawi mental. Doublet of pental.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mənˈtal]
* Hyphenation: men‧tal

#### Verb

mental
* to bounce off
    Synonyms: terpelanting, terpental
* to backfire

### Etymology 3

From Sundanese mental.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mənˈtal]
* Hyphenation: men‧tal

#### Adjective

mental
* useless.

### Further reading

* “mental” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mentalis, from mens.

### Adjective

mental (neuter singular mentalt, definite singular and plural mentale)
* mental

### References

* “mental” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mentalis, from mens.

### Adjective

mental (neuter singular mentalt, definite singular and plural mentale)
* mental

### References

* “mental” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Polish
### Pronunciation

* (Masovia):
** (Far Masovian) IPA: /ˈmɛn.tal/

### Etymology 1

From medal.

#### Noun

mental m inan
* (Far Masovian) Alternative form of medal

### Etymology 2

From motyl.

#### Noun

mental m animal
* (Far Masovian) Alternative form of motyl

### Further reading

* Wojciech Grzegorzewicz (1894) “mental”, in “O języku ludowym w powiecie przasnyskim”, in Sprawozdania Komisji Językowej Akademii Umiejętności (in Polish), volume 5, Krakow: Akademia Umiejętności, page 114

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin mentālis, from Latin mēns. By surface analysis, mente +‎ -al.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /mẽˈtaw/ [mẽˈtaʊ̯]
* (Portugal) IPA: /mẽˈtal/ [mẽˈtaɫ]
* (Portugal) IPA: /mẽˈtal/ [mẽˈtaɫ]
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /mẽˈta.li/
* Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
* Hyphenation: men‧tal

### Adjective

mental m or f (plural mentais, not comparable)
* mental

#### Derived terms

* mentalmente

#### Related terms

* mente

## Romanian
### Adjective

mental m or n (feminine singular mentală, masculine plural mentali, feminine and neuter plural mentale)
* Alternative form of mintal

#### Declension
## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin mentālis, from Latin mēns; equivalent to mente +‎ -al.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /menˈtal/ [mẽn̪ˈt̪al]
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: men‧tal

### Adjective

mental m or f (masculine and feminine plural mentales)
* mental

#### Derived terms

* anorexia mental
* bulimia mental
* deficiencia mental
* enajenación mental
* mentalmente
* paja mental
* retrasado mental
* retraso mental
* salud mental
* trastorno mental

#### Related terms

* mentalidad
* mente

### Further reading

* “mental”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin mentalis, from Latin mens.

### Adjective

mental
* mental, pertaining to the mind

#### Declension

$^1$ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. $^2$ Dated or archaic. $^3$ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

#### Related terms

* mentalpatient
* mentalsjuk
* mentalsjukhus

### Anagrams

* mantel

## Tagalog
### Pronunciation

* (Standard Tagalog) IPA: /ˈmental/ [ˈmɛn̪.t̪ɐl]
* Rhymes: -ental
* Syllabification: men‧tal

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from English mental.

#### Adjective

mental (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜒᜈ᜔ᜆᜎ᜔)
* mental

### Etymology 2

Ellipsis of English mental hospital.

#### Noun

mental (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜒᜈ᜔ᜆᜎ᜔)
* mental hospital
    Synonym: manikomyo

##### Related terms

* mentalidad

##### See also

* asilo

### Further reading

* “mental”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018