malacia malacia malacia is abnormal softening of a biological tissue, most often cartilage. the word is derived from greek μαλακός, malakos = soft. usually the combining form -malacia suffixed to another combining form that denotes the affected tissue assigns a more specific name to each such disorder, as follows: osteomalacia (rickets), a bone disorder from vitamin d deficiency chondromalacia, softening of cartilage (often refers to chondromalacia patellae when mentioned without further specification) chondromalacia patellae, a disorder of cartilage under the kneecap bronchomalacia, a disorder of the bronchial tubes' cartilage laryngomalacia, a disorder of the larynx's cartilage tracheomalacia, a disorder of the trachea's cartilage keratomalacia, an eye disorder from vitamin a deficiency myelomalacia, a disorder of the spinal cord cerebral softening (encephalomalacia), localized softening of brain tissue