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.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Also a·to·ni·a [uh-toh-nee-uh, ey-toh-]. /əˈtoʊ ni ə, eɪˈtoʊ-/.
Words nearby atony
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for atony
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 ]
n.
Lack of normal tone or tension; flaccidity.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.