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

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

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 time, at one time or another, atonic, atonic bladder, atonicity, atony, atop, atopen, atopic, atopic allergy, atopic cataract

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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

Medical definitions for atony

atony

[ ăt′ə-nē, ăt′n-ē ]

Lack of normal tone or tension; flaccidity.