cachexia

[ kuh-kek-see-uh ]
See synonyms for cachexia on Thesaurus.com
nounPathology.
  1. general ill health with emaciation, usually occurring in association with cancer or a chronic infectious disease.

Origin of cachexia

1
1535–45; <Late Latin <Greek, equivalent to kak(ós) bad + héx(is) condition (hek-, variant stem of échein to have + -sis-sis) + -ia-ia
  • Also ca·chex·y [kuh-kek-see] /kəˈkɛk si/

Other words from cachexia

  • ca·chec·tic [kuh-kek-tik], /kəˈkɛk tɪk/, ca·chec·ti·cal, ca·chex·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cachexia in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cachexia

cachexia

cachexy (kəˈkɛksɪ)

/ (kəˈkɛksɪə) /


noun
  1. a generally weakened condition of body or mind resulting from any debilitating chronic disease

Origin of cachexia

1
C16: from Late Latin from Greek kakhexia, from kakos bad + hexis condition, habit

Derived forms of cachexia

  • cachectic (kəˈkɛktɪk), adjective

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

Scientific definitions for cachexia

cachexia

[ kə-kĕksē-ə ]


  1. Severe weight loss, anorexia, and general debility that occur as a result of chronic disease. Cachetic patients exhibit signs of malnutrition, including muscle wasting.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.