emaciate

American  

[ih-mey-shee-eyt] / ɪˈmeɪ ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

emaciated, emaciating

1. to make abnormally lean or thin by a gradual wasting away of flesh.

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emaciate British  

/ ɪˈmeɪsɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. (usually tr) to become or cause to become abnormally thin

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• emaciation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of emaciate

1640–50; < Latin ēmaciātus, wasted away, equivalent to ē- e- ¹ + maciātus, past participle of maciāre to produce leanness ( maci ( ēs ) leanness + -ātus -ate ¹ )

Explanation

To emaciate is to make someone extremely thin or very weak. A serious illness can often emaciate a person, leaving them gaunt and frail. The verb emaciate is much less common than its related adjective, emaciated. Both stem from the Latin emaciare, "make lean, cause to waste away." Whenever a person has become malnourished in a way that's evident just from looking at them, you can use this word: "The ravages of the Irish potato famine emaciated the starving people all across the country, eventually causing a million deaths."

Related Words

• blow
• consume
• deplete
• dissipate
• divert
• drain
• exhaust
• lavish
• lose
• misuse
• squander
• undermine