hypochondria
UK[ˌhaɪ.pəˈkɒn.dri.ə]US[ˌhaɪ.poʊˈkɑːn.dri.ə]
n
abnormal chronic anxiety about one's health, often with a mistaken belief of serious illness.
n
(historical) a condition characterized by melancholy and depression, once thought to originate from the upper abdomen.
Morpheme Breakdown
hypo
chondr
ia
hypo
under
chondr
cartilage
ia
condition
Etymology
the term hypochondria has a fascinating journey from a physical to a psychological diagnosis. it originates from ancient greek 'hypokhondria', the neuter plural of 'hypokhondrios', meaning "pertaining to the soft parts of the body below the ribs and above the navel". this region, the 'hypochondrium', was thought in medieval and renaissance physiology to be the seat of melancholy and morbid anxiety. the literal meaning, "under the cartilage" (referring to the breastbone), evolved through humoral theory, where disturbances in this bodily region were believed to cause mental despondency. by the 19th century, the term shed its anatomical specificity to denote the mental condition of excessive health anxiety we recognize today.
Analysis
Structure: hypo (under) + chondr (cartilage) + ia (condition)
hypo: from greek, meaning "under, below".
chondr: from greek 'chondros', meaning "cartilage, gristle".
ia: a greek suffix forming nouns, especially names of diseases or abnormal states.
Examples
his constant research of symptoms online is a clear sign of his hypochondria.
the doctor explained that her pains were likely psychosomatic, stemming from hypochondria rather than a physical ailment.
in the 17th century, hypochondria was considered a disorder of the spleen and other abdominal organs.