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n. 1. The conviction that one is or is likely to become ill even though there is no medical evidence of illness. 2. A psychiatric disorder characterized by excessive concern about having a serious illness. Patients formerly diagnosed with this disorder are now often diagnosed with either somatic symptom disorder (if physical symptoms are present) or illness anxiety disorder (if physical symptoms are not present). Also called hypochondriasis. [Late Latin, abdomen, from Greek hupokhondria, pl. of hupokhondrion, abdomen (held to be the seat of melancholy), from neuter of hupokhondrios, under the cartilage of the breastbone : hupo-, hypo- + khondros, cartilage; see ghrendh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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