atrophy

Etymology

Borrowed from French atrophie, from Latin atrophia, from Ancient Greek ἀτροφία (atrophía, “a wasting away”), from ἄτροφος (átrophos, “ill-fed, un-nourished”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”), from τρέφω (tréphō, “I fatten”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ.tɹə.fi/

Noun

atrophy (plural atrophies)

1. (pathology) A reduction in the functionality of an organ caused by disease, injury or lack of use. [from early 17th c.]

Verb

atrophy (third-person singular simple present atrophies, present participle atrophying, simple past and past participle atrophied)

1. (intransitive) To wither or waste away. [from early 18th c.]
2. (transitive) To cause to waste away or become abortive; to starve or weaken.

See also

• -trophy
• hypotrophy

Further reading

• atrophy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia