Asthenia
/æsˈθiːniə/noun
A condition of abnormal physical weakness or lack of energy.
Did you know?Its roots are Greek: the prefix a- means “without,” and sthenos means “strength,” so the word is basically a linguistic emptying-out of force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sten-
“to be strong, stiff, or firm”
Ancient Greek
Greek
σθένος (sthenos)
“strength, force, might”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀ- (a-) + σθένεια (sthenia)
“without strength; weakness”
Late 19th Century
Medical English
asthenia
“debility, loss of strength; physical weakness”
Modern English
English
asthenia
“abnormal physical weakness or lack of energy”
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