atrophy
verb/ˈætrəfi/
/ˈætrəfi/
[intransitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they atrophy | /ˈætrəfi/ /ˈætrəfi/ |
| he / she / it atrophies | /ˈætrəfiz/ /ˈætrəfiz/ |
| past simple atrophied | /ˈætrəfid/ /ˈætrəfid/ |
| past participle atrophied | /ˈætrəfid/ /ˈætrəfid/ |
| -ing form atrophying | /ˈætrəfiɪŋ/ /ˈætrəfiɪŋ/ |
- if a part of the body atrophies, it becomes weak because it is not used or because it does not have enough blood
- patients whose muscles have atrophied
- (figurative) Memory can atrophy through lack of use.
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from French atrophier (verb), atrophie (noun), from late Latin atrophia, from Greek, ‘lack of food’, from a- ‘without’ + trophē ‘food’.Want to learn more?
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atrophy