atony

American  

[at-n-ee] / ˈæt n i /

Also atonia

noun

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

2. Phonetics. lack of stress accent.

---

atony British  

/ ˈætənɪ /

noun

1. pathol lack of normal tone or tension, as in muscles; abnormal relaxation of a muscle

2. phonetics lack of stress or accent on a syllable or word

---

Etymology

Origin of atony

1685–95; < Late Latin atonia < Greek, derivative of átonos unaccented, languid, literally, toneless. See a- ⁶, tone

Example Sentences

Sufferers from chronic constipation receive assurances that by the use of these "remedies" the anemia will be corrected, nutrition and digestion restored, atony of the liver and intestines overcome, yellow complexion and morbid feeling disappear.

From Intestinal Ills Chronic Constipation, Indigestion, Autogenetic Poisons, Diarrhea, Piles, Etc. Also Auto-Infection, Auto-Intoxication, Anemia, Emaciation, Etc. Due to Proctitis and Colitis by Jamison, Alcinous B. (Alcinous Burton)

Your disease is a deficiency of blood, a constitutional atony.

From Laboulaye's Fairy Book by Booth, Mary L. (Mary Louise)

He did not deny that the kind of atony to which his monotonous life subjected him, made it necessary that he should be somewhat galvanised by the excitement of travel.

From The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 4, July, 1851 by Various

To overcome this "atony" of two or more feet of the lower bowel, a little "nutritious" suppository, weighing twenty grains, is a "specific."

From Intestinal Ills Chronic Constipation, Indigestion, Autogenetic Poisons, Diarrhea, Piles, Etc. Also Auto-Infection, Auto-Intoxication, Anemia, Emaciation, Etc. Due to Proctitis and Colitis by Jamison, Alcinous B. (Alcinous Burton)

Count Monte-Leone alone seemed master of himself, and sought to cure the general atony in which even Maulear was involved.

From The International Monthly, Volume 2, No. 4, March, 1851 by Various