hypertrophy

English

WOTD – 4 March 2006

Hypertrophy results from an increase in cell size, whereas hyperplasia stems from an increase in cell number

Etymology

From French hypertrophie, from Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over, excessive”) + τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”), equivalent to hyper- +‎ -trophy.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /haɪˈpɜːtɹəfi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /haɪˈpɝːtɹəfi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

hypertrophy (countable and uncountable, plural hypertrophies)

1. (countable, medicine) An increase in the size of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its individual cells.
   • 2010 January 29, Anita Woods et al., “Control of chondrocyte gene expression by actin dynamics: a novel role of cholesterol/Ror-α signalling in endochondral bone growth”, in Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine‎^[1], volume 13, →DOI:

     Ectopic chondrocyte hypertrophy has been demonstrated in OA, suggesting that the pathogenetical process involves a recapitulation of endochondral ossification [ 11 – 13 ].

2. (uncountable, bodybuilding) Increase in muscle size through increased size of individual muscle cells; a result of weightlifting, and other exercise. It differs from muscle hyperplasia, which is the formation of new muscle cells.

Antonyms

• atrophy
• hypotrophy

Coordinate terms

• hyperplasia

Derived terms

• eccentric hypertrophy
• hypertrophic
• hypertrophical
• hypertrophically
• hypertrophous

 

Translations

an increase in the size of an organ due to swelling of the individual cells

• Catalan: hipertròfia f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 肥大 (zh) (féidà)

• Dutch: hypertrofie (nl)
• Finnish: hypertrofia (fi)
• French: hypertrophie (fr) f
• German: Hypertrophie (de) f
• Greek: υπερτροφία (el) f (ypertrofía)
• Irish: hipeartrófacht f
• Italian: ipertrofia (it)
• Japanese: 肥大 (ja) (ひだい, hidai)
• Korean: 비대 (ko) (bidae)
• Macedonian: хипертрофија f (hipertrofija)
• Polish: hipertrofia (pl) f, przerost (pl) m
• Portuguese: hipertrofia (pt) f
• Romanian: hipertrofie (ro) f
• Russian: гипертрофи́я (ru) f (gipertrofíja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: хипертро̀фија f

  Roman: hipertròfija (sh)

• Spanish: hipertrofia (es) f
• Swedish: hypertrofi (sv) c
• Vietnamese: sự nở to

Verb

hypertrophy (third-person singular simple present hypertrophies, present participle hypertrophying, simple past and past participle hypertrophied)

1. (intransitive, of a tissue or organ) To increase in size.

   Antonym: atrophy

2. (by extension) To enlarge or extend.
   • 2020 January 29, Douglas Groothuis, “Texts, Graphics, and Culture: On the Decline of Reading and Civilization”, in Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D.: Christian Philosopher and Apologist‎^[2], archived from the original on 27 January 2023:

     But when text hypertrophies into a riot of contending inscripturations, we lose too much of what matters most in writing.

   • 2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 76:

     Like a well-exercised muscle, 'network' has hypertrophied into a master concept.

Translations

to increase in size

• Catalan: hipertrofiar (ca)
• French: s’hypertrophier (fr)
• German: hypertrophieren
• Greek: υπερτροφώ (ypertrofó), αυξάνω (el) (afxáno)
• Japanese: 肥大する (ja) (ひだいする, hidai suru)
• Portuguese: hipertrofiar (pt)
• Romanian: hipertrofia (ro)
• Spanish: hipertrofiarse (es)