cachexia

[kuh-kek-see-uh]

See more synonyms for cachexia on Thesaurus.com

noun Pathology.

general ill health with emaciation, usually occurring in association with cancer or a chronic infectious disease.

Also ca·chex·y

[kuh-kek-see] /kəˈkɛk si/

Origin of cachexia

1535–45; < Late Latin < Greek, equivalent to kak(ós) bad + héx(is) condition (hek-, variant stem of échein to have + -sis -sis) + -ia -ia

Related formsca·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. 2019

Related Words for cachexia

malady, sickness, disease, affliction, ailment, complaint, upset, infirmity, indisposition, cachexia

Examples from the Web for cachexia

Historical Examples of cachexia

There exists in some individuals a predisposition to "catching cold," independent of any cachexia.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various
In the cachexia from tumours an increase of the eosinophil cells has been observed by various authors.
Histology of the Blood
Paul Ehrlich
The cachexia and rapid decline are not seen in catarrhal ulceration.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various
It produces anæmia and cachexia in animals when given in small repeated doses.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection
Alexander Wynter Blyth
The symptoms which induce women to seek medical aid are haemorrhage, foetid discharge, and later pain and cachexia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7
Various

British Dictionary definitions for cachexia

cachexia

cachexy (kəˈkɛksɪ)

noun

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

Derived Formscachectic (kəˈkɛktɪk), adjective

Word Origin for cachexia

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

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

Word Origin and History for cachexia

"bad general state of health," 1540s, from Latinized form of Greek kakhexia "bad habits," from kakos "bad" (see caco-) + -exia, related to exis "habit or state," from exein "to have, be in a condition," from PIE root *segh- "to hold, hold in one's power, to have" (see scheme (n.)). Related: cachexic.

cachexia in Medicine

cachexia

[kə-kĕk′sē-ə]

Weight loss, wasting of muscle, loss of appetite, and general debility that can occur during a chronic disease.

cachexia in Science

cachexia

[kə-kĕk′sē-ə]

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