- a degenerative disease of the arteries characterized by patchy thickening of the inner lining of the arterial walls, caused by deposits of fatty material; a form of arteriosclerosis
See atheroma
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ath•er•o•scle•ro•sis
(ath′ə rō sklə rō′sis, aᵺ′-),USA pronunciation n. [Pathol.]
ath•er•o•scle•rot•ic
(ath′ə rō sklə rot′ik, aᵺ′-),USA pronunciation adj.
ath′er•o•scle•rot′i•cal•ly, adv.
- Pathologya common form of arteriosclerosis in which fatty substances form a deposit of plaque on the inner lining of arterial walls.
- German Atherosklerose; see athero-, sclerosis
- 1905–10;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
atherosclerosis /ˌæθərəʊsklɪəˈrəʊsɪs/ n ( pl -ses /-siːz/)
'atherosclerosis' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):