emaciation
AmericanEtymology
Origin of emaciation
Explanation
Emaciation is extreme, dangerous thinness. People suffering from emaciation have usually experienced malnutrition because of illness or poverty. If someone goes on a hunger strike for long enough, it will result in emaciation, leaving them looking gaunt and feeling very weak. True emaciation means that there is very little fat left in the person's body, making their bones prominent. This noun comes from the Latin emaciare, "make lean, waste away," and its root, macer, "thin."
Vocabulary lists containing emaciation
National Nurses Week: Medical Branches and Conditions
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Orlando: A Biography
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Novel Study: The Road, Pages 1–175
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The worry over Grande’s visible emaciation rendered the video itself moot.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
On Friday, the director of one field hospital said in a statement that they had an unprecedented influx of patients suffering from severe exhaustion, emaciation and acute malnutrition.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
But others may suffer from severe disease marked by extensive hair loss, secondary bacterial infections, emaciation and, eventually, death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025
Their medical conditions included a boat strike that caused a skull fracture, severe emaciation and gastric issues, dehydration and inflammation.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 30, 2022
He’d lost much of his hair since turning fifty, and his belly, always undernourished in appearance, now suggested a shriveled emaciation.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
