atrophy

American  

[a-truh-fee] / ˈæ trə fi /

noun

1. Pathology. Also atrophia a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage.

2. degeneration, decline, or decrease, as from disuse.

   He argued that there was a progressive atrophy of freedom and independence of thought.

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verb (used with or without object)

atrophied, atrophying

1. to affect with or undergo atrophy.

atrophy British  

/ ˈætrəfɪ, əˈtrɒfɪk /

noun

1. a wasting away of an organ or part, or a failure to grow to normal size as the result of disease, faulty nutrition, etc

2. any degeneration or diminution, esp through lack of use

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verb

1. to waste away or cause to waste away

atrophy Scientific  

/ ăt′rə-fē /

1. A wasting or decrease in the size of an organ or tissue, as from death and reabsorption of cells, diminished proliferation of cells, pressure, lack of oxygen, malnutrition, decreased function, or hormonal changes.

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atrophy Cultural  

1. The wasting away or decrease in size of an organ or tissue in the body. When a body part is affected by paralysis, the muscles may atrophy through lack of use.

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Discover More

The term is also used in a more general way to refer to a wasting process: “Since he stopped playing, his piano skills have atrophied.”

Other Word Forms

• atrophic adjective
• nonatrophic adjective

Etymology

Origin of atrophy

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier atrophie, from Middle French, from Late Latin atrophia, from Greek, from átroph(os) “not fed, unnourished” (from a- a- ⁶ + troph(ḗ) “nourishment” + -os, adjective suffix; tropho- ) + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

"He was like, 'it's about atrophy and entropy and the forces of the universe'," he said.

From Barron's

The pandemic, for all its lessons, quietly atrophied some of our neighboring muscles, and many of us are still figuring out how to use them again.

From Salon

But if it’s left to atrophy, it can disappear entirely.

From Salon

Chatbots can now do students’ homework or sub in for workers, threatening both livelihoods and the dignity of work while allowing critical thinking to atrophy.

From The Wall Street Journal

When we met him, he meandered across the field, atrophied by lack of exercise, sat on my foot and looked up with a hopeful demeanor.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• degeneration