emaciate

1 cause to grow thin or weak; "The treatment emaciated him" [syn: waste, macerate]

2 grow weak and thin or waste away physically; "She emaciated during the chemotherapy"

English

Etymology

From Latin emaciare

Verb

1. To make extremely thin or wasted.
2. To become extremely thin or wasted.

Translations

• ttbc Dutch: uitmergelen, vermageren

Related terms

• emaciated
• emaciation

Emaciation ( or ɨˌmeɪsiːˈeɪʃən) occurs when a human loses substantial amounts of much needed fat and often muscle tissue, making that human look extremely thin. The cause of emaciation is a lack of nutrients from starvation or disease. Many women (and some men) have targeted the emaciation look, and such is the result of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Many people are chosen to be fashion models because of this tremendously skinny look. The shape of the bones in a severely-emaciated person is distinguishable, the shoulder blades are prominently sharp, and the ribs and spine can be clearly seen, while the arms and legs are not significantly wider than the bones that support them. Death may occur.

See also

• Starvation

Sanforize, atrophy, attenuate, consume, consume away, dilute, dribble away, dry up, emacerate, macerate, parch, pine away, preshrink, rarefy, run to seed, run to waste, sear, shrink, shrivel, subtilize, thin, thin away, thin down, thin out, waste, waste away, water, water down, weaken, weazen, wither, wither away, wizen