malacia

American

[muh-ley-shuh, -shee-uh, -see-uh] / məˈleɪ ʃə, -ʃi ə, -si ə /

noun

Pathology.

softening, or loss of consistency, of an organ or tissue.
an abnormal craving for highly spiced food.

malacia British

/ məˈleɪʃɪə /

noun

the pathological softening of an organ or tissue, such as bone

"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

Other Word Forms

malacoid

adjective
malacotic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of malacia

1650–60; < New Latin < Greek malakía softness, tenderness, weakness. See malaco-, -ia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023