atrophy
Use Atrophy in a sentence
trə noun
1.
2.
degeneration, decline, or decrease, as from disuse: He argued that there was a progressive atrophy of freedom and independence of thought.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
3.
to affect with or undergo atrophy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To atrophy
00:10
Atrophy
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is boor. Does it mean:
| vanishing; fading away; fleeting. |
| a churlish, rude, or unmannerly person; a country bumpkin, rustic or yokel |
Collins
World English Dictionary
atrophy (ˈætrəfɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -phies | |
| 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 |
| —vb , -phies, -phies, -phying, -phied | |
| 3. | to waste away or cause to waste away |
| [C17: from Late Latin atrophia, from Greek, from atrophos ill-fed, from | |
| atrophic | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
atrophy
"wasting away through lack of nourishment," 1590s (implied in atrophied), from Fr. atrophie, from L.L. atrophia, from Gk. atrophia "a wasting away," noun of state from atrophos "ill-fed, un-nourished," from a- "not" + trophe "nourishment," from trephein "to fatten." Atrophic is recorded from 1865.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
atrophy at·ro·phy (āt'rə-fē)
n.
A wasting or decrease in the size of an organ or tissue, as from death and reabsorption of cells, diminished cellular proliferation, pressure, ischemia, malnutrition, decreased function, or hormonal changes. Also called atrophia. v. at·ro·phied, at·ro·phy·ing, at·ro·phies
To undergo atrophy.
a·troph'ic (ā-trŏf'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| atrophy (āt'rə-fē) Pronunciation Key
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. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
atrophy [(at-ruh-fee)]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.
Note: 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.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Muscles atrophy and die if the cells that routinely die off can't be replaced.
It's about time both government and industry realized that people do not need to atrophy with age.
It is dementia which is a result of atrophy of the right temporal lobe.
Many causes of optic nerve atrophy cannot be prevented.
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