anorexia
anorexia Lexical Profile
anorexia Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A serious psychological eating disorder (formally anorexia nervosa) characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted perception of body image, and severe, self-imposed restriction of food intake.
"Early intervention and specialized therapy are vital for adolescents recovering from anorexia."
A clinical symptom consisting of a prolonged lack or loss of appetite for food, often caused by an underlying medical condition or medication.
"The patient experienced temporary nausea and anorexia as side effects of the chemotherapy treatment."
Word Nuance & Usage
In everyday conversation, 'anorexia' almost exclusively serves as shorthand for the psychiatric eating disorder 'anorexia nervosa'; however, in clinical medicine, 'anorexia' by itself strictly refers to the physical symptom of a lost appetite resulting from illness or medication.
• Rhymes for anorexia
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century via Modern Latin from Ancient Greek 'anorexia' ('want of appetite'), formed from the privative prefix 'an-' ('without') and 'orexis' ('appetite' or 'longing'), from the verb 'oregein' ('to reach out for' or 'desire').