ta·bes·cent (t?-b?s??nt)adj. Progressively wasting away.[Latin t?b?sc?ns, t?b?scent-, present participle of t?b?scere, to waste away, inchoative of t?b?re, from t?b?s, a wasting away.]ta·bes?cence n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.tabescence1. the process of emaciation or wasting of the body.2. the condition of being wasted or in decay, especially as a gradual process. ? tabescent, adj.See also: Body, Human, Decaying1. the process of emaciation or wasting of the body.2. the condition of being wasted or in decay, especially as a gradual process. ? tabescent, adj.See also: Disease and Illness-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.