at·o·ny
(ăt′ə-nē, ăt′n-ē)n.1. Lack of normal muscle tone.
2. Lack of accent or stress.
[Late Latin atonia, from Greek atoniā, from atonos, slack : a-, without; see a-1 + tonos, stretching, tone; see tone.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
atony
(ˈætənɪ) n1. (Pathology) pathol lack of normal tone or tension, as in muscles; abnormal relaxation of a muscle
2. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics lack of stress or accent on a syllable or word
[C17: from Latin atonia, from Greek: tonelessness, from atonos slack, from a-1 + tonos tone]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
at•o•ny
(ˈæt n i) also a•to•ni•a
(əˈtoʊ ni ə, eɪˈtoʊ-)
n. 1. lack of tone or energy; muscular weakness, esp. in a contractile organ.
2. lack of stress accent.
[1685–95; < Late Latin
atonia < Greek, derivative of
átonos unaccented, languid, literally, toneless. See
a-
6,
tone]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
atonicity, atony
lack of tone or tonus in the body; poor muscular condition. Cf. tonicity. — atonic, adj.
See also: Body, Human-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.