hypertrophy

American  

[hahy-pur-truh-fee] / haɪˈpɜr trə fi /

noun

plural

hypertrophies

1. abnormal enlargement of a part or organ; excessive growth.

2. excessive growth or accumulation of any kind.

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verb (used with or without object)

hypertrophied, hypertrophying

1. to affect with or undergo hypertrophy.

hypertrophy British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈtrɒfɪk, haɪˈpɜːtrəfɪ /

noun

1. enlargement of an organ or part resulting from an increase in the size of the cells Compare atrophy hyperplasia

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verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo this condition

Other Word Forms

• hypertrophic adjective

Etymology

Origin of hypertrophy

First recorded in 1825–35; hyper- + -trophy

Example Sentences

"This neuro-immune-endocrine cooperation synergistically promotes increased production of renin to maintain blood pressure homeostasis, but, on the other hand, severe arteriolar hypertrophy reduces the blood filtration function of the kidney."

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2024

Other researchers have noted that years of repeated use can accelerate hypertrophy, the increase of muscle cells.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2021

This kind of hypertrophy, as it’s called, is frequently seen in patients who have high blood pressure, when the heart has to work hard to squeeze its payload into the bloodstream.

From New York Times • Jul. 28, 2021

The opposite of hypertrophy is atrophy, the loss of muscle mass due to the breakdown of structural proteins.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

She was a frosty girl, plain and colorless, who protected herself against a world she disliked by a mask-like expression and a hypertrophy of intellect.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov