What does marasmic mean?
Marasmic is an adjective meaning severely affected by wasting, especially the loss of body weight and muscle caused by malnutrition. It is most often used in medical literature and clinical descriptions of infants, children, or older people whose bodies are not receiving or retaining sufficient nourishment. The word has a serious and precise tone and should generally not be used as a casual substitute for thin, frail, or underweight. Its related noun, marasmus, names the condition characterized by profound wasting and emaciation, typically resulting from severe nutritional deprivation. Marasmic is useful when specificity is important because it identifies a degree and medical context of wasting that ordinary words such as thin or weak do not convey.
adjectiveCharacterized by severe wasting caused by a lack of nutrition, especially in infants or older people. The term is chiefly used in medical contexts.
- Affected by severe wasting or emaciation, especially as a result of malnutrition.
"The medical team diagnosed the child as severely marasmic after years of inadequate nutrition."
"The elderly patient appeared marasmic and required immediate nutritional support."
"The report described the child as marasmic, with pronounced muscle and fat loss."
Marasmic describes the extreme wasting that can result when the body is denied enough food for too long.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does marasmic come from?
The word derives from Greek marasmos, meaning wasting or decay, through the related medical term marasmus. The suffix -ic, meaning ‘pertaining to’ or ‘characterized by,’ was added to form marasmic. The Greek root has long been associated with the idea of a body wasting away through lack of nourishment or disease.
Related word forms
How marasmic is actually used
This is a formal, medical term. It is usually used to describe a person or condition showing severe wasting, particularly from inadequate nutrition, and is less appropriate in casual or figurative speech.