atony

1. Lack of normal muscle tone.
2. Lack of accent or stress.

[Late Latin atonia, from Greek atoniā, from atonos, slack : a-, without; see a-¹ + tonos, stretching, tone; see tone.]

A condition in which muscles are flaccid and lack their normal elasticity.

Lack of normal tone or tension; flaccidity.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: lack of normal muscular tension or tonus
  Synonyms: atonicity, atonia, amyotonia

In medicine, atony (or "atonia", or "atonic") refers to a muscle that has lost its strength. It is frequently associated with the conditions Atonic seizure, Atonic colon, Uterine atony, Gastrointestinal atony (occurs postoperatively) and choreatic atonia.

Atony can also refer to the paralyzed or extremely relaxed state of skeletal muscles in rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep) in most warm-blooded animals.

See also

• Hypotonia
• Muscle weakness

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