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hypochondria


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Definition of hypochondria

noun

[mass noun]
  • abnormal chronic anxiety about one’s health.

Origin:

late Middle English: via late Latin from Greek hupokhondria, denoting the soft body area below the ribs, from hupo 'under' + khondros 'sternal cartilage'. Melancholy was originally thought to arise from the liver, gall bladder, spleen, etc.

Spelling help

Remember that hypochondria begins with hypo- and is spelled -chon- in the middle.

hypochondria in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of hypochondria in the US English dictionary
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