atrophy

American  

[a-truh-fee] / ˈæ trə fi /

noun

1. Pathology. Also atrophia a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage.

2. degeneration, decline, or decrease, as from disuse.

   He argued that there was a progressive atrophy of freedom and independence of thought.

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verb (used with or without object)

atrophied, atrophying

1. to affect with or undergo atrophy.

atrophy British  

/ ˈætrəfɪ, əˈtrɒfɪk /

noun

1. a wasting away of an organ or part, or a failure to grow to normal size as the result of disease, faulty nutrition, etc

2. any degeneration or diminution, esp through lack of use

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verb

1. to waste away or cause to waste away

atrophy Scientific  

/ ăt′rə-fē /

1. A wasting or decrease in the size of an organ or tissue, as from death and reabsorption of cells, diminished proliferation of cells, pressure, lack of oxygen, malnutrition, decreased function, or hormonal changes.

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atrophy Cultural  

1. The wasting away or decrease in size of an organ or tissue in the body. When a body part is affected by paralysis, the muscles may atrophy through lack of use.

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Discover More

The term is also used in a more general way to refer to a wasting process: “Since he stopped playing, his piano skills have atrophied.”

Other Word Forms

• atrophic adjective
• nonatrophic adjective

Etymology

Origin of atrophy

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier atrophie, from Middle French, from Late Latin atrophia, from Greek, from átroph(os) “not fed, unnourished” (from a- a- ⁶ + troph(ḗ) “nourishment” + -os, adjective suffix; tropho- ) + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

This gives them the right to collect two extra payments of $2 a share each, provided that global sales of Syfovre, the company’s geographic atrophy treatment, hit specific yearly targets.

From Barron's

Apellis has two approved drugs: Empaveli, which is approved to treat two rare kidney diseases, and Syforvre, which is used by patients with geographic atrophy, an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration.

From MarketWatch

Like any skill, it atrophies when we outsource the work.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s like a muscle that maybe has atrophied a little bit over the years,” Gould said in his interview with the Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal

NBCUniversal is cutting “Access Hollywood” and several other of its daytime talk shows, effectively ending its first run syndication business as daytime television atrophies.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• degeneration