Entropy vs. Atrophy

Entropy vs. Atrophy Entropy vs. Atrophy Entropy vs. Atrophy By Mark Nichol Entropy is the uncertainty or disorder in a system. In a technical sense, it is the gradual breakdown of energy and matter in the universe; in casual usage, it refers to degradation or disorder in any situation, or to chaos, disorganization, or randomness in general. The stem -tropy, from the Greek word trope, means â€Å"change† or â€Å"turn.† It’s easily confused with a similar-sounding but unrelated word: atrophy, which refers to physical or psychological decline: Atrophy, which serves as a verb as well, stems from the Greek word trephein, which means â€Å"to nourish†; the prefix a- indicates antonymic form, as in apolitical or atheism. Atrophy can also mean poor development or loss of a part of an animal or plant, and in that sense it’s related to dystrophy, which in general refers to a condition resulting from poor nutrition, though it’s more familiar as part of the phrase â€Å"muscular dystrophy†; that, by contrast, identifies a hereditary disease that results in wasting away of muscle tissue. Trophy, however, meaning â€Å"a prize† or â€Å"a memorial,† is despite the ph spelling from trope, not trephein. (It evolved from a second sense of trope as â€Å"a rout, a victory.†) It’s related, therefore, to the English word trope, which refers to a figure of speech or a clichà © (a â€Å"turn† of phrase); the primary sense of that word is â€Å"a device or theme,† as in a common and perhaps trite plot element in a war movie or a tearjerker. Trop- features at the head of other words, too: tropic, referring to the two parallel lines of latitude that cross over the tropics, and tropism, which means â€Å"a tendency, inclination, or propensity.† The syllable also appears in numerous medical and scientific terms, such as autotropism and somatotropin. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Based in" and "based out of"How to Punctuate Descriptions of Colors20 Tips to Improve your Writing Productivity