Dictionary

asthenia en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /æsˈθiː.nɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /æsˈθi.ni.ə/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀσθένεια (asthéneia), from ἀσθενής (asthenḗs, “sick, weak”), from ἀ- (a-, “not, un-”) + σθένος (sthénos, “strength”). By surface analysis, a- (“not”) + sthen- (“strength”) + -ia (“disease”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Weakness; loss of strength.
   • The savage gets a headache when his thought is forced to flow in a stream of representation. In the imbecile, in the idiot we find the same thing manifested. They can only think in concrete sensory terms. In mental asthenia which approaches the state of the higher stages of imbecility and also in secondary dementia, states consequent on psychic degeneration, we find the same truth illustrated. The patient's mental activity falls many stages nearer to the level of presentative life. It is only in the higher forms of psychic life that representative elements become free, independent, and are freely and easily associated and dissociated. 1914, Boris Sidis, The Foundations of Normal and Abnormal Psychology:
2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) weakness
   • You see nothing that might even remotely suggest life, beyond the solitary brave watering the ponies below you; but that is because the asthenia of civilization has left you half blind as well as half deaf, for where you see nothing and hear nothing Geronimo is conscious of life, movement and sound-of rodents, reptiles and birds awaiting, quiescent, the lessening heat of dusk. 1927, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The War Chief:

Forms

Deriveds

myasthenia · asthenozoospermia · myxasthenia · neurasthenia · thrombasthenia · neuromyasthenia · myelasthenia · psychasthenia · neurosthenia

Relateds

asthenic

Translations (20)

fr asthénie (loss of strength) · uk астені́я (loss of strength) · pt astenia (loss of strength) · sh astènija (loss of strength) · bg асте́ния (loss of strength) · sh астѐнија (loss of strength) · ru сла́бость (loss of strength) · de Körperschwäche (loss of strength) · de Asthenie (loss of strength) · sh slȁbōst (loss of strength) · fi voimattomuus (loss of strength) · ru бесси́лие (loss of strength) · ru астени́я (loss of strength) · pl astenia (loss of strength) · tr argınlık (loss of strength) · ca astènia (loss of strength) · id astenia (loss of strength) · ar ضَعْف (loss of strength) · sh сла̏бо̄ст (loss of strength) · fi astenia (loss of strength)