hypochondria

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌhaɪpə(ʊ)ˈkɒndriə/

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌhaɪpoʊˈkɑndriə/, /ˌhaɪpəˈ-/

From New Latin hypochondria (the morbid condition so called, supposed to have its seat in the upper part of the abdomen), from hypochondrium (see English hypochondrium for more).

• hypochondry (dated)

hypochondria (uncountable)

1. (medicine) A formerly defined psychological disorder characterized by excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness. No longer a current medical diagnosis; see hypochondriasis for more.

   Hypernyms: disorder, disease < condition

   Hyponym: medical students' disease

   Near-synonym: hypochondriasis

2. (obsolete, medicine) Melancholy; depression.
   • 1833, Richard Robert Madden, The Infirmities of Genius Illustrated by Referring the Anomalies in the Literary Character to the Habits and Constitutional Peculiarities of Men of Genius, page 96:

     Such labours as these, if they do not shorten life, are calculated to make it wretched, for hypochondria invariably follows close upon them.

   • 1845, Life of G. W. von Leibnitz. On the basis of the German work of ... G. E. Guhrauer, page 275:

     His own temperament appears to have been neither purely sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, nor melancholic [...] not melancholy, since he is entirely free from hypochondria, thinks rapidly, and has an active will.

   • 1849, Franz Hartmann, Charles Julius Hempel, Theory of acute diseases, and their homoeopathic treatment, page 200:

     Nux likewise corresponds to hypochondria caused by rich and excessive living. In general, Nux is the best remedy for hypochondria arising from a morbid condition of the abdominal nerves ; after dinner, the patients generally experience a feeling of malaise and langour.

hypochondria

1. plural of hypochondrium

• “hypochondria”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “hypochondria”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “hypochondria”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

hypochondria f (plural hypochondrias)

1. Pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of hipocondria.