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anorexia

[ an-uh-rek-see-uh ]
/ ˌæn əˈrɛk si ə /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR anorexia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

loss of appetite and inability to eat.
Psychiatry. anorexia nervosa.

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RELATED WORDS

attenuation, consumption, withering, thinness, malnutrition, atrophy, starvation, wasting, tabes, marasmus, haggardness

Nearby words

anorak, anorchia, anorectal, anorectic, anoretic, anorexia, anorexia nervosa, anorexiant, anorexic, anorexigenic, anorgasmia

Origin of anorexia

1590–1600; < New Latin < Greek, equivalent to an- an-1 + órex(is) longing (oreg- reach after + -sis -sis) + -ia -ia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for anorexia

British Dictionary definitions for anorexia

anorexia

/ (ˌænɒˈrɛksɪə) /

noun

loss of appetite
Also called: anorexia nervosa (nɜːˈvəʊsə) a disorder characterized by fear of becoming fat and refusal of food, leading to debility and even death
Derived Formsanorectic or anorexic, adjective, noun

Word Origin for anorexia

C17: via New Latin from Greek, from an- + orexis appetite
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for anorexia

anorexia

n.

1590s, "lack of appetite," Modern Latin, from Greek anorexia, from an-, privative prefix, "without" (see an- (1)) + orexis "appetite, desire," from oregein "to desire, stretch out" (cognate with Latin regere "to keep straight, guide, rule;" see regal). In current use, often short for anorexia nervosa.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for anorexia

anorexia

[ ăn′ə-rĕk′sē-ə ]

n.

Loss of appetite, especially as a result of disease.
Anorexia nervosa.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for anorexia

anorexia

[ ăn′ə-rĕk′sē-ə ]

Loss of appetite, especially as a result of disease.
Anorexia nervosa.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for anorexia

anorexia

A short name for anorexia nervosa.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.