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atrophy

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The definition of atrophy is the weakening, loss, wasting away, break-down or growth halt of something such as a body part, plant, person, place or thing.

(noun)

When a person gets dementia and cannot remember things anymore, it is an example of atrophy in their brain cells.
When a tree is no longer receiving the nutrients it needs and it begins to lose leaves, it is an example of atrophy.
An example of atrophy is an abandoned home wearing away with time and weather, becoming broken down and unsuitable for living.

See atrophy in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a wasting away, esp. of body tissue, an organ, etc., or the failure of an organ or part to grow or develop, as because of insufficient nutrition

Origin: < LL atrophia < Gr, a wasting away < a-, not + trephein, to feed: see trophic

intransitive verb atrophied, atrophying

to waste away or fail to develop

transitive verb

to cause atrophy in

Related Forms:

atrophic adjective

See atrophy in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. at·ro·phies

Pathology A wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use: muscular atrophy of a person affected with paralysis.
A wasting away, deterioration, or diminution: intellectual atrophy.

verb at·ro·phied, at·ro·phy·ing, at·ro·phies

verb, transitive

To cause to wither or deteriorate; affect with atrophy.

verb, intransitive

To waste away; wither or deteriorate.

Origin:

Origin: Late Latin atrophia

Origin: , from Greek atrophiā

Origin: , from atrophos, ill-nourished

Origin: : a-, without; see a-¹

Origin: + trophē, food

Related Forms: