atrophias
|a-tro-phy|
/ˈætrəfi/
(atrophy)
wasting away
Etymology
'atrophy' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'atrophia', where the prefix 'a-' meant 'without' and 'trophē' meant 'nourishment'.
'atrophy' passed into Late Latin/Medieval Latin as 'atrophia', then into French as 'atrophie', and finally into English as 'atrophy'.
Initially it meant 'lack of nourishment'; over time the sense shifted to the modern meaning of 'wasting away or decrease in size/strength'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form (rare/nonstandard) of 'atrophy': areas or instances of wasting away or degeneration.
The scan showed several atrophias in the brain tissue.
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Verb 1
third-person singular present form of 'atrophy': (of a body part, tissue, or organization) to waste away, decrease in size, or lose effectiveness, often from lack of use or nourishment; also: to cause to waste away.
If a muscle is unused for months, it atrophias and becomes much weaker.
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Last updated: 2025/11/14 04:08