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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ATROPHY

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pronounce ATROPHY:

AT ruh fee
Your browser does not support the audio element.

connect this word to others:

As we check out the word atrophy, see if you can recall a related word that means "too much nourishment," or less literally, "a state of too much growth or development:" it's h____trophy.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Atrophy" traces back through French and Latin to Greek bits that literally mean "without nourishment." (The prefix "a-" means "without," and trophē means "nourishment.")

When certain muscles, organs, or limbs atrophy, they waste away, shrinking or even dying, sometimes because of poor nutrition or because they simply weren't being used.

And when abstract things like skills, talents, or memories atrophy, they waste away, often because they haven't been used.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

It's a verb.

It can be the transitive kind: "Years of dull physical work atrophied his mind."

And it can be the intransitive kind: "His mind atrophied all through the years of dull physical work."

Other forms: 

It's less common, but "atrophy" is also a noun. It's both the countable kind ("He suffered from an atrophy of the mind") and the uncountable kind ("He suffered from atrophy of the mind").

how to use it:

Pick the common, formal word "atrophy" when you want to suggest that something has withered away like an unused or diseased body part.

Like I mentioned, it's often skills, talents, and memories that atrophy. Other things that can atrophy include wit, intellect, relationships, groups, interests, passions, hopes, goals, missions, jobs, industries, and economies.

You might also say that something atrophies into some unhealthy or decaying state: "Isaac atrophies into tropical storm (United Press International);" "When it comes to AI and growth, scepticism is useful but don't let it atrophy into cynicism (The New Statesman)."

examples:

"They cited movie projectionists as just one example of a formerly high-­paying, union job that gradually atrophied into minimum wage work, with the accompanying lack of benefits."
  — Donald Jeffries, Salon, 12 July 2017

"Thirteen does have an awful lot of guitar solos, galumphing through the pretty electronic backgrounds Miles builds up. They help disguise how his ear for a hook has atrophied – the simple, immediate melodies of his populist work have been switched for slow, windy phrases that taper frustratingly away."
  — Tom Ewing, BBC, 3 February 2011

has this page helped you understand "atrophy"?

   

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.


study it:

Explain the meaning of "atrophy" without saying "fade away" or "shrink into oblivion."

try it out:

In reference to the movie Toy Story 3, Michael Hann wrote:

"What are toys, the ending asks us. Are they parts of our individual pasts, which atrophy as we change and grow, but which can be reanimated if we can rekindle the spark of childhood?"

He seems to be saying "yes," but what do you think? Do you think our childhood loves (of toys, for example) atrophy as we grow up? Could you name some particular childhood enjoyment of yours that either has or hasn't atrophied?




before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "It's That Thing..."

We'll play with some highly slangy, reasonably wholesome terms, courtesy of Urban Dictionary.

I'll give you three terms, and you attempt to define them. Scroll down to see the correct definitions, and give yourself a point for each term that you defined either correctly or believably.

Try these today:

1. Exhaustipated

2. New York Sock Exchange

3. And the crowd goes mild

review this word:

1. Opposites of ATROPHY include

A. SHINE and BURNISH.
B. GROW and FLOURISH.
C. STALL and LANGUISH.

2. When Jonathan Beckman complained that a character in a certain novel "atrophies into cliche," he was hinting that cliche itself is like _____.

A. a deflated ball or balloon
B. a malnourished organ or limb
C. an overworked horse or automobile




Answers to the review questions:
1. B
2. B

From the game:

Remember, even if you're wrong, give yourself a point for coming up with a believable definition! Here are the definitions that Urban Dictionary lists.

1. Exhaustipated: "the feeling one has when he is so tired he just doesn't give a &*#%."

2. New York Sock Exchange: "When everyone in the household gets together to match up socks with a missing partner."

3. And the crowd goes mild: "When someone’s music is so mid, it’s like 'and the crowd goes home.'"


a final word:


I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.


From my blog:
On vocabulary...
      36 ways to study words.
      Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
      How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
      How to improve any sentence.
      How to motivate our kids to write.
      How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
      How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

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A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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