sclerosis of the spinal cord, causing atrophy of the muscles, 1874, in translations from French. Amyotropic is compounded from Greek elements: a- "not, without" (see a- (3)) + combining form of mys "muscle" (see muscle (n.)) + trophikos "feeding," from trophe "nourishment" (see -trophy). Also ALS, and often known in U.S. as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the New York Yankees baseball player who was diagnosed with it in 1939 and died of it in 1941.

"a wasting away through lack of nourishment," 1610s (atrophied is from 1590s), from French atrophie, from Late Latin atrophia, from Greek atrophia "a wasting away," abstract noun from atrophos "ill-fed, un-nourished," from a- "not, without" (see a- (3)) + trophē "nourishment," from trephein "to fatten" (see -trophy).

also distrophy, "defective nutrition," 1858, from Modern Latin dystrophia, distrophia, from Greek dys- "hard, bad, ill" (see dys-) + trophe "nourishment" (see -trophy). Related: Dystrophic.

1900, from German (1892), from hetero- "other" + Greek trophos "feeder" (see -trophy). Related: Heterotrophic (1884); heterotrophism (1885); heterotrophy.

1888, from German (1885); see hetero- "other" + -trophy "nourishment." Used especially of plants that depend for food on a fungus.

"excessive growth," 1821, from hyper- "over, exceedingly, to excess" + -trophy "nourishment." Related: Hypertrophic.

"deficiency of nutrition," by 1895, from oligo- "small, little" + -trophy "food, nourishment." Related: Oligotrophic.

"of or pertaining to nutrition, food, or nourishment," 1856, from Greek trophikos, from trophe "nourishment, food" (see -trophy).

before vowels, troph-, word-forming element meaning "nourishment, food," from Greek trophe "nourishment" (see -trophy).