disuse

American  

[dis-yoos, dis-yooz] / dɪsˈjus, dɪsˈjuz /

noun

1. discontinuance of use or practice.

   Traditional customs are falling into disuse.

---

verb (used with object)

disused, disusing

1. to cease to use.

disuse British  

/ dɪsˈjuːs /

noun

1. the condition of being unused; neglect (often in the phrases in or into disuse )

---

Etymology

Origin of disuse

1375–1425; late Middle English. See dis- ¹, use

Explanation

Use the noun disuse to describe a condition of not being used. After years of disuse, you won't be surprised when your dad's motorcycle doesn't start. The word disuse implies at least a bit of neglect, and it can also mean that something has become obsolete or old-fashioned: "Typewriters fell into disuse after personal computers became available." You'll often find the word used in the graceful phrase "fall into disuse." The word comes from a Latin root, dis, which means "lack of," added to the word use, and it's been around since about 1400.

Example Sentences

Disuse atrophy applies to sedentary muscles in the same way it does the cognitive decline seen in dementia.

From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2022

Disuse also means atrophy of muscles, not least of which the heart: after long stints in orbit, astronauts have returned with slightly smaller hearts than people on Earth.

From The Guardian • Mar. 5, 2016

Q: "Disuse syndrome,"you write, should be recognized as the real leading cause of death.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2010

Disuse may be defined either as the mere discontinuance of Use or as Use in a sense opposed to the form of function particularly under consideration.

From A Review of the Systems of Ethics Founded on the Theory of Evolution by Williams, C. M.

Disuse during lifetime would also cause some amount of degeneracy; and I am not sure that Mr. Spencer is right in entirely excluding economy of nutrition from the problem.

From Are the Effects of Use and Disuse Inherited? An Examination of the View Held by Spencer and Darwin by Ball, W. P. (William Platt)