atrophy
/ˈæt.ɹə.fi/noun, verb
atrophy is spelled A-T-R-O-P-H-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, atrophy means “A reduction in the functionality of an organ caused by disease, injury or lack of use” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of atrophy is atrophies.
How many letters and syllables are in atrophy?
| Letters | 7: A-T-R-O-P-H-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is atrophy?
Atrophy appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce atrophy?
- US /ˈæt.ɹə.fi/
- /ˈɛt.ɹə.fi/
Atrophy has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-atrophy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of atrophy
- atrophies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- atrophying participle, present
- atrophied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does atrophy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A reduction in the functionality of an organ caused by disease, injury or lack of use.
verb
- 1
To wither or waste away.
- 2
To cause to waste away or become abortive; to starve or weaken.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Atrophy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | atrophie , atrophier |
| German | Atrophie , absterben |
| Portuguese | atrofia , atrofiar |
| Spanish | atrofia , atrofiarse , atrofiar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does atrophy come from?
Borrowed from French atrophie, from Latin atrophia, from Ancient Greek ἀτροφία (atrophía, “a wasting away”), from ἄτροφος (átrophos, “ill-fed, un-nourished”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”), from τρέφω (tréphō, “to fatten”). Equivalent to a- + -trophy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).