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malacia

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

noun

Pathology.

  1. softening, or loss of consistency, of an organ or tissue.

  2. an abnormal craving for highly spiced food.

malacia British  
/ məˈleɪʃɪə /

noun

  1. 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

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.

Ac iam conversis in eam partem navibus quo ventus ferebat, tanta subito malacia ac tranquillitas exstitit ut se ex loco movere non possent.

From Helps to Latin Translation at Sight by Luce, Edmund

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.