Dictionary.com

atony

[ at-n-ee ]
/ ˈæt n i /
Save This Word!

noun
Pathology. lack of tone or energy; muscular weakness, especially in a contractile organ.
Phonetics. lack of stress accent.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Also a·to·ni·a [uh-toh-nee-uh, ey-toh-]. /əˈtoʊ ni ə, eɪˈtoʊ-/.

Origin of atony

1685–95; <Late Latin atonia<Greek, derivative of átonos unaccented, languid, literally, toneless. See a-6, tone
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for atony

atony
/ (ˈætənɪ) /

noun
pathol lack of normal tone or tension, as in muscles; abnormal relaxation of a muscle
phonetics lack of stress or accent on a syllable or word

Word Origin for atony

C17: from Latin atonia, from Greek: tonelessness, from atonos slack, from a- 1 + tonos tone
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
FEEDBACK