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amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

[ ey-mahy-uh-trof-ik, -troh-fik, ey-mahy-uh- ]
/ ˌeɪ maɪ əˈtrɒf ɪk, -ˈtroʊ fɪk, eɪˌmaɪ ə- /
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noun Pathology.
an incurable disease of unknown cause in which progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord leads to atrophy and eventually complete paralysis of the voluntary muscles. Abbreviation: ALS
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Also called Lou Gehrig's disease.

Origin of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

First recorded in 1885–90; a-6 + myo- + -trophic

Words nearby amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
/ (ˌæmɪəʊˈtrəʊfɪk) /

noun
a form of motor neurone disease in which degeneration of motor tracts in the spinal cord causes progressive muscular paralysis starting in the limbsAlso called: Lou Gehrig's disease
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
[ ā′mī-ə-trōfĭk, -ə-trŏfĭk, ā-mī′- ]

A chronic, progressive neurologic disease marked by gradual degeneration of the neurons in the spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. The disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy and usually results in death. Also called Lou Gehrig's disease, after the American baseball player (1903-41) who was the first public figure to suffer from the disease.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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