anorexia

American  

[an-uh-rek-see-uh] / ˌæn əˈrɛk si ə /

noun

1. Psychiatry. anorexia nervosa.

2. loss of appetite and inability to eat.

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anorexia British  

/ ˌænɒˈrɛksɪə /

noun

1. loss of appetite

2. Also called: anorexia nervosa.  a disorder characterized by fear of becoming fat and refusal of food, leading to debility and even death

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anorexia Scientific  

/ ăn′ə-rĕk′sē-ə /

1. Loss of appetite, especially as a result of disease.

2. Anorexia nervosa.

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anorexia Cultural  

1. A short name for anorexia nervosa.

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Other Word Forms

• anorectic adjective

Etymology

Origin of anorexia

First recorded in 1590–1600; from New Latin, from Greek, from an- an- ¹ + órex(is) “appetite, desire, longing” (from orég(ein) “to reach, stretch” + -sis -sis ) + -ia -ia

Compare meaning

How does anorexia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• anorexia vs. anorexia nervosa
• bulimia vs. anorexia
• anorexia vs. obesity

Example Sentences

Three years ago, the organization’s then-chief legal advocacy officer—recently promoted to CEO—promised that Colorado’s legislation “does not and was never intended to apply to a person whose only diagnosis is anorexia nervosa.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Food noise is also common in bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa.

From Science Daily

Naomi, who is in her 30s, wanted to live at home during treatment for her anorexia so she could continue to look after her child.

From BBC

He stopped using models with low body mass indexes when one - Ana Carolina Reston - died of anorexia.

From BBC

He was also the first designer to ban underweight models from the runway, after the death of model Ana Carolina Reston in 2006 from anorexia nervosa.

From BBC