Meanings
plural marasmuses
- countableuncountablemedicineA condition of chronic undernourishment especially in children, caused by a diet deficient in calories or the inability to digest protein and presenting as a severe loss of body weight.
Indian children are still among the skinniest and shortest on the planet, but they are taller and plumper than were their parents or grandparents, and the signs of gross hunger, such as marasmus, are now rarely seen in nutritional surveys.
2015, Angus Deaton, “4 Health in the Modern World”, in The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality, page 163
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekμᾰρᾰσμός“withering”
- Late Latinmarasmus
- Englishmarasmus
Borrowed from Late Latin marasmus, from Ancient Greek μᾰρᾰσμός (mărăsmós, “withering”, noun).
More words from Late Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 消瘦
- 消瘦 (xiāoshòu)Translations
Esperanto marasmo, subnutrado
- marasmoTranslations
- subnutradoTranslations
Finnish marasmi
- marasmiTranslations
French marasme
- marasmeTranslations
German Marasmus
- MarasmusTranslations
Italian marasma
- marasmaTranslations
Japanese マラスムス
- マラスムス (marasumasu)Translations
Portuguese marasmo
- marasmoTranslations
Russian мара́зм
- мара́зм (marázm)Translations
Spanish marasmo
- marasmoTranslations
Swahili chirwa
- chirwaTranslations
Swedish marasm, avtynande
- marasmTranslations
- avtynandeTranslations
Cite this entry
marasmus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marasmus
“marasmus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marasmus. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “marasmus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marasmus.
Source: marasmus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.