Emaciated
/ɪˈmeɪ.si.eɪ.tɪd/noun
Abnormally thin or weak, usually because of illness, starvation, or deprivation.
Did you know?Emaciated comes from Latin macer, meaning “thin” or “lean,” a root also linked—through a debated ancient connection—to Greek makros, “long,” behind English macro and macron.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
macer
“thin, lean, emaciated”
Classical Latin
Latin
macies
“leanness, emaciation, wasting”
Classical Latin
Latin
emaciare
“to make lean or waste away; e- meaning “out” or “thoroughly” plus maciare, “make lean””
Late Latin
Latin
emaciatus
“made thin, wasted away; past participle of emaciare”
17th Century
English
emaciated
“Reduced to extreme thinness, especially through disease or starvation”
Modern English
English
emaciated
“Abnormally thin, weak, or wasted”