"deficiency of nutrition," by 1895, from oligo- "small, little" + -trophy "food, nourishment." Related: Oligotrophic.
Entries linking to oligotrophy
oligo-
before vowels olig-, word-forming element meaning "few, the few," from Greek oligos "few, scanty, small, little," in plural, "the few;" a word of uncertain origin.
-trophy
word-forming element meaning "food, nourishment," from Greek -trophia, from trophe "food, nourishment," related to trephein "make thrive, nourish, rear; to make solid, congeal, thicken."