bulimia
UK[bjuːˈlɪm.i.ə]US[bʊˈlɪm.i.ə]
n
An eating disorder in which a person repeatedly eats very large amounts of food and then forces themselves to vomit or uses other methods to avoid gaining weight.
n
(Archaic) An abnormally great or constant hunger.
Morpheme Breakdown
bou
lim
ia
bou
ox
lim
hunger
ia
condition
Etymology
The term bulimia has a vivid, literal origin in ancient Greek, combining bous (ox) and limos (hunger) to create boulimia, meaning "ravenous hunger of an ox". This graphic metaphor described an insatiable appetite thought to be as immense as that of the large animal. In medieval Latin medicine, it was adopted to label a symptom of pathological overeating. The modern, specific psychiatric meaning of an eating disorder characterized by cycles of binge-eating and purging was established in the 20th century, evolving from the ancient concept of extreme hunger into a defined clinical condition.
Analysis
Structure: bou (ox) + lim (hunger) + ia (condition)
- bou: From Greek bous, meaning "ox" or "cow". In this compound, it functions as an intensifier, implying "as great as an ox".
- lim: From Greek limos, meaning "hunger" or "famine". This is the core semantic root of the word.
- ia: A Greek suffix used in medical terminology to form nouns denoting a pathological condition or state.
Examples
She sought professional help to overcome her struggle with bulimia.
The documentary highlighted the serious health consequences of untreated bulimia nervosa.
In historical texts, bulimia was sometimes used to describe a symptom of certain parasitic infections.