[ ˌaθərəʊsklɪə'rəʊsɪs , -sklə- ]
■ noun Medicine a disease of the arteries characterized by the deposition of plaques of fatty material on their inner walls.
Derivatives
atherosclerotic adjective
Origin
early 20th cent.: from Gk athērē 'groats' + sklērōsis (see sclerosis ).