atrophy vs wasting

atrophy

noun
  • A reduction in the functionality of an organ caused by disease, injury or lack of use. 

verb
  • To cause to waste away or become abortive; to starve or weaken. 

  • To wither or waste away. 

wasting

noun
  • Gradual deterioration or wasting away. 

  • The act by which something is laid waste; destruction. 

adj
  • Causing a waste, or wasting away; causing pronounced loss of body mass. 

How often have the words atrophy and wasting occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )