n. Weight loss, wasting of muscle, loss of appetite, and general debility that can occur during a chronic disease. [Late Latin, from Greek kakhexiā : kako-, caco- + hexis, condition (from ekhein, to have; see segh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.