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atrophy definition

at·ro·phy (a′trə fē)

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

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

intransitive verb atrophied -·phied, atrophying -·phy·ing

to waste away or fail to develop

transitive verb

to cause atrophy in

Related Forms:

  • atrophic atroph′·ic (ə träf′ik) adjective

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical atrophy definition - medical

atrophy Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • muscle: Literally, a soul of mud, with atrophy of the muscles, a linguist in the larval state, gill flaps twitching.

Converse of object

  • cause: Unlike strong topical steroids, studies have shown that tacrolimus ointment does not cause skin atrophy 5, 6.

Adjective modifier

  • villous: What are the surgical implications The histology shows villous atrophy with crypt hyperplasia.

Noun used with modifier

  • disuse: It will shut off the bad genes because it will not be in use and undergo disuse atrophy!
atrophy usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

atrophy quotes

It would be a bitter cosmic joke if we destroy ourselves due to atrophy of the imagination.

-Gellhorn, Martha Ellis

The author's conviction on this day of New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs toofar from the dance; that poetry beginsto atrophy when it getstoo far from music . . .

-Pound, Ezra Loomis

atrophy quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"atrophy." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/atrophy>

APA Style

atrophy. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/atrophy

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