atony

[ at-n-ee ]

/ ˈæt n i /

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noun

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

Phonetics. lack of stress accent.

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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