dystrophy

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/ˈdɪstɹəfi/

noun

A wasting of body tissues, of either genetic origin or due to inadequate or defective nutrition.

Similar
muscular dystrophy
Less commonScrabble 21
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Meanings

noundystrophy (countable and uncountable, plural dystrophies)

plural dystrophies · alternative dystrophia

  1. countableuncountableA wasting of body tissues, of either genetic origin or due to inadequate or defective nutrition.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounany of several hereditary diseases of the muscular system characterized by weakness and wasting of skeletal muscles

Similar
muscular dystrophy
Broader
genetic diseasegenetic disordergenetic abnormality
Also see
muscular dystrophy

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From dys- + -trophy, literally “bad growth”, as in the opposite of growth.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic ضُمُور
  • ضُمُور (ḍumūr)dystrophy
Catalan distròfia
  • distròfiadystrophy
Chinese Mandarin 萎縮症 /萎缩症
  • 萎縮症 /萎缩症 (wěisuōzhèng)dystrophy
Estonian düstroofia
  • düstroofiadystrophy
Finnish dystrofia, rappeutuminen
  • dystrofiadystrophy
  • rappeutuminendystrophy
  • surkastuminendystrophy
  • rappeumadystrophy
  • surkastumadystrophy
French dystrophie
  • dystrophiedystrophy
German Dystrophie
  • Dystrophiedystrophy
Greek δυστροφία
  • δυστροφία (dystrofía)dystrophy
Indonesian distrofi
  • distrofidystrophy
Irish diostróife
  • diostróifedystrophy
Italian distrofia
  • distrofiadystrophy
Japanese ジストロフィー
  • ジストロフィー (jisutorofī)dystrophy
Persian دشپروردگی
  • دشپروردگی (došparvardegī)dystrophy
Polish dystrofia
  • dystrofiadystrophy
Portuguese distrofia
  • distrofiadystrophy
Russian дистрофи́я
  • дистрофи́я (distrofíja)dystrophy
Slovak dystrofia
  • dystrofiadystrophy
Spanish distrofia
  • distrofiadystrophy
Swedish dystrofi
  • dystrofidystrophy
Vietnamese sự loạn đường
  • sự loạn đườngdystrophy
Cite this entry
APA

dystrophy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dystrophy

MLA

“dystrophy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dystrophy. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dystrophy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dystrophy.

Source: dystrophy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.