marasmus Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun extreme malnutrition and emaciation (especially in children); can result from inadequate intake of food or from malabsorption or metabolic disorders

WordNet

Ma*ras"mus noun
Etymology
NL., fr. Gr. , fr. , to quench, as fire; pass., to die away.
Definitions
  1. (Med.) A wasting of flesh without fever or apparent disease; a kind of consumption; atrophy; phthisis.
    Pining atrophy, Marasmus, and wide-wasting pestilence. Milton.

Webster 1913