dystrophy

Also dys·tro·phi·a

[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.

dystrophy

/ dɪsˈtrɒfɪk, ˈdɪstrəfɪ, dɪˈstrəʊfɪə /

noun

1. any of various bodily disorders, characterized by wasting of tissues See 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

Other Word Forms

• dystrophic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dystrophy¹

From the New Latin word dystrophia, dating back to 1885–90. See dys-, -trophy

Word History and Origins

Origin of dystrophy¹

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

Example Sentences

A sudden muscle tear from a sports injury differs greatly from the slow decline in muscle strength seen in conditions such as muscular dystrophy.

Read more on Science Daily

He also candidly relates his struggles with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, a rare kind of neuromuscular disease that led to his use of a wheelchair.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It has tumbled amid a Food and Drug Administration inquiry into Elevidys, one of the gene therapies targeting Duchenne muscular dystrophy, after two people who took the treatment died from liver failure.

Read more on Barron's

It came after the biotechnology company disclosed disappointing trial data for two treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, raising questions about how long it will take regulators to approve a key drug.

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The company is developing experimental drugs based on the technology to treat forms of muscular dystrophy, a multibillion-dollar market.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal