atony

[at-n-ee]

noun

Pathology. lack of tone or energy; muscular weakness, especially in a contractile organ.

Phonetics. lack of stress accent.

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. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for atonia

atony

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

atonia in Medicine

atony

[ăt′ə-nē, ăt′n-ē]

n.

Lack of normal tone or tension; flaccidity.