noun.
A disease characterized by the wasting away or atrophy of the body or a part of the body.
noun.
Tuberculosis of the lungs. No longer in scientific use.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
noun.
A disease of the lungs, characterized by progressive consolidation of pulmonary tissue, with breaking down and the formation of cavities.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
noun.
A wasting or consumption of the tissues. The term was formerly applied to many wasting diseases, but is now usually restricted to pulmonary phthisis, or consumption. See consumption.