valetudinarian
UK /ˌvæ.ləˌtuː.dɪˈnɛə.ɹi.ən/ · US /ˌvæ.ləˌtu.dəˈnɛ.ɹi.ən/ adjective, noun
Forms valetudinarians
- adjective Sickly, infirm, of ailing health; related to ill health.
- adjective Being overly worried about one's health.
- noun A person in poor health or sickly, especially one who is constantly obsessed with their state of health
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin valētūdin- + -arian, from oblique stem of Latin valētūdō, from valeō + -tūdō. By surface analysis, valetude + -arian.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Of infirm health; seeking to recover health; sickly; weakly; infirm.
- noun A person of a weak or sickly constitution; one who is seeking to recover health.
Etymology [L. valetudinarius, from valetudo state of health, health, ill health, fr. valere to be strong or well: cf. F. valétudinaire. See Valiant.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “valetudinarian”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details