atrophy

at·ro·phy

noun \ˈa-trə-fē\

plural at·ro·phies

Definition of ATROPHY

1

: decrease in size or wasting away of a body part or tissue; also : arrested development or loss of a part or organ incidental to the normal development or life of an animal or plant

2

: a wasting away or progressive decline <was not a solitude of atrophy, of negation, but of perpetual flowering — Willa Cather>

— atro·phic \(ˌ)ā-ˈtrō-fik\ adjective

— atrophy \ˈa-trə-fē, -ˌfī\ verb

Examples of ATROPHY

1. The doctor is concerned about possible atrophy of the shoulder muscles.

Origin of ATROPHY

Late Latin atrophia, from Greek, from atrophos ill fed, from a- + trephein to nourish

First Known Use: 1601