atrophy

verb [I]

/ˈæt.rə.fi/

Definition

› (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).Disorders of muscles and the nervous system atrophy

noun [U] Disorders of muscles and the nervous system

(Definition of atrophy verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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