Etymograph

English

marasmus

Marasmus comes from Ancient Greek μᾰρᾰσμός ‘withering’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμᾰρᾰσμόςmărăsmós‘withering’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmarasmus
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2015same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμᾰρᾰσμόςmărăsmós‘withering’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmarasmus
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2015same form

Earliest quotation: 2015, Angus Deaton, 4 Health in the Modern World: “Indian children are still among the skinniest and shortest…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mer- ‘to die, disappear’

remember, march, murder, marine, mere, mortality, nightmare, mortal, maritime, mortar, marsh, moor, morbid, mare, muller, mort, morn, ambrosia, moribund, marinate, cormorant, marinara, maar, amaranth, 61 more

Today it means

noun A condition of chronic undernourishment especially in children, caused by a diet deficient in calories or the inability to digest protein and presenting as a severe loss of body weight.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek μᾰρᾰσμός / marasmus

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