A condition in which one side of the body or face becomes noticeably smaller or wastes away due to muscle loss or underdevelopment.
Combines Greek 'hemi-' (half) with 'atrophy' (from Greek 'atrophia,' meaning wasting). The condition was first formally documented in medical literature in the 1800s when physicians began systematizing asymmetrical body conditions.
Hemiatrophy sometimes appears in stroke survivors, but it can also be congenital—babies can be born with one side of their face or body significantly smaller than the other, showing how profoundly one-sided our development can become.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.