cachexia

[kuh-kek-see-uh]

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

British Dictionary definitions for cachexic

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 cachexic

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.

cachexic in Medicine

cachexia

[kə-kĕk′sē-ə]

n.

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

cachexic 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.