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dystrophy

[dis-truh-fee]
noun
  1. Medicine/Medical. faulty or inadequate nutrition or development.
  2. Pathology. any of a number of disorders characterized by weakening, degeneration, or abnormal development of muscle.
  3. Ecology. the state of being dystrophic.
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Also dys·tro·phi·a [dih-stroh-fee-uh] /dɪˈstroʊ fi ə/.

Origin of dystrophy

From the New Latin word dystrophia, dating back to 1885–90. See dys-, -trophy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for dystrophia

dystrophy

dystrophia (dɪˈstrəʊfɪə)

noun
  1. any of various bodily disorders, characterized by wasting of tissuesSee also muscular dystrophy
  2. ecology a condition of lake water when it is too acidic and poor in oxygen to support life, resulting from excessive humus content
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Derived Formsdystrophic (dɪsˈtrɒfɪk), adjective

Word Origin

C19: New Latin dystrophia, from dys- + Greek trophē food
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 dystrophia

dystrophy

n.

also distrophy, "defective nutrition," 1858, from Modern Latin dystrophia, distrophia, from Greek dys- "hard, bad, ill" (see dys-) + trophe "nourishment" (see -trophy). Related: Dystrophic.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dystrophia in Medicine

dystrophy

(dĭs′trə-fē)
n.
  1. A degenerative disorder caused by inadequate or defective nutrition.
  2. Any of several disorders, especially muscular dystrophy, in which the muscles weaken and atrophy.
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Related formsdys•troph′ic (dĭ-strŏf′ĭk, -strō′fĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.