disuse

American  

[dis-yoos, dis-yooz] / dɪsˈjus, dɪsˈjuz /

noun

1. discontinuance of use or practice.

   Traditional customs are falling into disuse.

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verb (used with object)

disused, disusing

1. to cease to use.

disuse British  

/ dɪsˈjuːs /

noun

1. the condition of being unused; neglect (often in the phrases in or into disuse )

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Etymology

Origin of disuse

1375–1425; late Middle English. See dis- ¹, use

Explanation

Use the noun disuse to describe a condition of not being used. After years of disuse, you won't be surprised when your dad's motorcycle doesn't start. The word disuse implies at least a bit of neglect, and it can also mean that something has become obsolete or old-fashioned: "Typewriters fell into disuse after personal computers became available." You'll often find the word used in the graceful phrase "fall into disuse." The word comes from a Latin root, dis, which means "lack of," added to the word use, and it's been around since about 1400.

Example Sentences

Disuse atrophy applies to sedentary muscles in the same way it does the cognitive decline seen in dementia.

From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2022

Disuse also means atrophy of muscles, not least of which the heart: after long stints in orbit, astronauts have returned with slightly smaller hearts than people on Earth.

From The Guardian • Mar. 5, 2016

Q: "Disuse syndrome,"you write, should be recognized as the real leading cause of death.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2010

Darwin also laid stress, particularly in his later works, on Use and Disuse, but he often defined the term more specifically than many other authors, Lamarck among them, seem to have done.

From A Review of the Systems of Ethics Founded on the Theory of Evolution by Williams, C. M.

Disuse, effects of, in producing rudimentary organs; and use of parts, effects of; of parts, influence of, on the races of men.

From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles