emaciate Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb cause to grow thin or weak
    macerate; waste.
    • The treatment emaciated him
  2. verb grow weak and thin or waste away physically
    • She emaciated during the chemotherapy

WordNet

E*ma"ci*ate intransitive verb
Etymology
L. emaciatus, p. p. of emaciare to make lean; e + maciare to make lean or meager, fr. macies leanness, akin to macer lean. See Meager.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Emaciated ; present participle & verbal noun Emaciating
Definitions
  1. To lose flesh gradually and become very lean; to waste away in flesh. "He emaciated and pined away." Sir T. Browne.
E*ma"ci*ate transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To cause to waste away in flesh and become very lean; as, his sickness emaciated him.
E*ma"ci*ate adjective
Etymology
L. emaciatus, p. p.
Definitions
  1. Emaciated. "Emaciate steeds." T. Warton.

Webster 1913