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- DictionaryAt·ro·phy/ˈatrəfē/
verb
- 1. (of body tissue or an organ) waste away, especially as a result of the degeneration of cells, or become vestigial during evolution: "without exercise, the muscles will atrophy"
- 2. gradually decline in effectiveness or vigor due to underuse or neglect: "her artistic skills atrophied from lack of use"
noun
- 1. the process of atrophying or state of having atrophied: "gastric atrophy"
Atrophy, decrease in size of a body part, cell, organ, or other tissue. Atrophy is a hallmark of conditions such as starvation, aging, and certain disease states. It also occurs normally in some cells and organs at certain life stages. Learn more about the types and physiological effects of atrophy.
Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include mutations (which can destroy the gene to build up the organ), poor nourishment, poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, loss of nerve supply to the target organ, excessive amount of apoptosis of cells, and disuse or lack of exercise or disease ...
(of a part of the body) to be reduced in size and therefore strength, or, more generally, to become weaker: After several months in a hospital bed, my leg muscles had atrophied. In the 1980s, their political power gradually atrophied (= became weaker). SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Disorders of muscles & the nervous system.
Jun 12, 2017 · Atrophy Definition. Atrophy is a term that describes the wasting away of cell tissue. On a larger scale, atrophy can see a reduction in the size and function of a muscle or limb. This process if often gradual and chronic, if not permanent. However, atrophy is not exclusively a pathologic state.
Atrophy occurs in parts of the body that can't move or be "fed" because of disease or injury. It also is used to describe things that go dull through lack of use, like skills in sports or artistic creativity.
Atrophy definition, a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage. See more.
atrophy. (medical) the condition of losing fat, muscle, strength, etc. in a part of the body because it does not have enough blood. (figurative, formal) The cultural life of the country will sink into atrophy unless more writers and artists emerge.
