at·ro·phy

noun

/ˈætrəfi/

[uncountable]

(medical) the condition of losing fat, muscle, strength, etc. in a part of the body because it does not have enough blood萎缩
- (medical) muscle atrophy肌肉萎缩
- (figurative, formal) The cultural life of the country will sink into atrophy unless more writers and artists emerge.如果没有更多的作家和艺术家出现，这个国家的文化生活将衰退。
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from French atrophier (verb), atrophie (noun), from late Latin atrophia, from Greek, ‘lack of food’, from a- ‘without’ + trophē ‘food’.

verb

/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萎缩；衰退
- patients whose muscles have atrophied肌萎缩症患者
- (figurative) Memory can atrophy through lack of use.记忆力不常使用就会衰退。
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from French atrophier (verb), atrophie (noun), from late Latin atrophia, from Greek, ‘lack of food’, from a- ‘without’ + trophē ‘food’.