Meaning

noun a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse

noun any weakening or degeneration (especially through lack of use)

verb undergo atrophy

originBorrowed 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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0