English vocabulary · C1
Emaciate
/ɪˈmeɪ.ʃi.eɪt/ · v.
It means to become very thin and weak from not eating. The body wastes away slowly.
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Example sentences
- The sick dog began to emaciate after days with no food.
- War left many children to emaciate in the camps.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- e — out (from Latin)
- mac — thin (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- STARVE (deprived of food until dangerously thin)
- WITHER (drying up and losing all vitality)
- WASTE (strength fades away over time)
Words with the same root
macer — thin
- meager — very small in amount — thin and insufficient
Lesson notes
Emaciate. It means to become very thin and weak from not eating. The body wastes away slowly.
Similar words are starve, wither, and waste. Use emaciate when a body grows dangerously thin over time.
The sick dog began to emaciate after days with no food. War left many children to emaciate in the camps.
From Latin. E means out. Mac means thin. All the flesh going out — the body turning to bone. That is to emaciate.