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

Words nearby atony

at one's word, at one time, at one time or another, atonic, atonicity, atony, atop, atopic, atopy, -ator, atorvastatin

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

How to use atony in a sentence

Rounded scybalous masses are common in habitual constipation, and indicate atony of the muscular coat of the intestine.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
His nerve-principle was supposed to produce spasms and atony, either actively or passively.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park
Atony: the child does not move; he cannot stand; he cannot sit upright nor execute any movement whatever.
Montessori Elementary Materials|Maria Montessori
Atony and hyperactivity may be overcome by appropriate educational remedies which we will now discuss.
Montessori Elementary Materials|Maria Montessori

The patient is unable to empty the bladder, and the condition of atony gets increasingly worse.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 1|Various

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