koro

American  

[kawr-oh, kohr-oh] / ˈkɔr oʊ, ˈkoʊr oʊ /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. a culture-specific syndrome, occurring chiefly in China and southeastern Asia, characterized by anxiety and the fear of retraction of the penis or breasts and labia into the body.

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koro British  

/ ˈkɒrɒ /

noun

1. 1. an elderly Māori man

   2. a title of respect for an elderly Māori man

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Etymology

Origin of koro

< dialectal Malay (Kedah) kɔrɔ land turtle (standard Malay kura-kura

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

koro

Trying to understand koro, in turn, lead me into a labyrinth of other syndromes, many of which seem unreal to Westerners, though not to those experiencing them.

From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2016

This is known in the medical literatures as koro, or “genital retraction syndrome,” and versions of it have been recorded, among other places, in China, Thailand, and India.

From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2016

It’s no coincidence that in almost every recorded case of koro, the victim already knew of the condition, so was primed to detect it.

From The Guardian ● May 13, 2016

Perhaps the best-known culture-bound syndrome is koro, in which the patient is convinced that protruding bodily organs, such as the male genitalia or female nipples, are retracting or disappearing into his or her body.

From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2011

In the Gulph of Carpentaria, we did not observe any other than the koro, or grey slug.

From A Voyage to Terra Australis — Volume 2 by Matthew Flinders

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