hypochondria
hypochondria Lexical Profile
hypochondria Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A chronic psychological condition characterized by an excessive, persistent, and unfounded fear of having a serious medical illness, often involving the misinterpretation of minor or normal bodily sensations as symptoms of disease.
"His severe hypochondria led him to visit three different specialists over a harmless muscle twitch."
In anatomy, the plural of hypochondrium; the two upper lateral regions of the abdomen situated just below the lowest ribs and costal cartilages.
"The physician palpated both hypochondria to check for any enlargement of the liver or spleen."
Word Nuance & Usage
In contemporary clinical psychiatry (DSM-5), the term 'hypochondriasis' or 'hypochondria' has been largely replaced by 'illness anxiety disorder' to avoid the pejorative connotations of imagined illness.
• Rhymes for hypochondria
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin 'hypochondria' (the upper abdomen), from Ancient Greek 'hypokhondria', meaning the soft parts of the body below the costal cartilage. Ancient physicians believed that melancholy and groundless anxiety originated from disorders of the organs in this region, such as the spleen and liver.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.