atrophy

atrophy
noun (plural -phies) Etymology: Late Latin atrophia, from Greek, from atrophos ill fed, from a- + trephein to nourish Date: 1601 1. decrease in size or wasting away of a body part or tissue; also arrested development or loss of a part or organ incidental to the normal development or life of an animal or plant 2. a wasting away or progressive decline ; degeneration <
the atrophy of freedom
>
<
was not a solitude of atrophy, of negation, but of perpetual flowering — Willa Cather
>
atrophic adjectiveatrophy verb

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Synonyms:
(from want of nourishment), , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • atrophy — [a′trə fē] n. [< LL atrophia < Gr, a wasting away < a , not + trephein, to feed: see TROPHIC] a wasting away, esp. of body tissue, an organ, etc., or the failure of an organ or part to grow or develop, as because of insufficient… …   English World dictionary

  • Atrophy — At ro*phy, n. [L. atrophia, Gr. ?; a priv. + ? to nourish: cf. F. atrophie.] A wasting away from lack of nourishment; diminution in bulk or slow emaciation of the body or of any part. Milton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Atrophy — At ro*phy, v. t. [p. p. {Atrophied}.] To cause to waste away or become abortive; to starve or weaken. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Atrophy — At ro*phy, v. i. To waste away; to dwindle. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Atrophy — Allgemeine Informationen Genre(s) Thrash Metal Gründung 1986 Website …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • atrophy — index decay, decline, degenerate, depreciate, deteriorate, deterioration, detriment, dissolution (dis …   Law dictionary

  • atrophy — [n] wasting away, disintegration decline, degeneracy, degeneration, deterioration, diminution, downfall, downgrade; concepts 674,698 …   New thesaurus

  • atrophy — ► VERB (atrophies, atrophied) 1) (of body tissue or an organ) waste away. 2) gradually become less effective or vigorous. ► NOUN ▪ the condition or process of atrophying. DERIVATIVES atrophic adjective …   English terms dictionary

  • atrophy — atrophic /euh trof ik, euh troh fik/, adj. /a treuh fee/, n., v., atrophied, atrophying. n. 1. Also, atrophia /euh troh fee euh/. Pathol. a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage. 2.… …   Universalium

  • Atrophy — For the American thrash metal band, see Atrophy (band) Atrophy Classification and external resources Mice with spinal muscular atrophy MeSH …   Wikipedia

  • Atrophy — Wasting away or diminution. Muscle atrophy is wasting of muscle, decrease in muscle mass. A nerve can also show atrophy. For example, atrophy of the optic nerve diminishes vision. * * * A wasting of tissues, organs, or the entire body, as from… …   Medical dictionary

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