valetudinarian

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Latin valētūdinārius, from valetudo (state of health, health, ill health), from valere (to be strong or well) +‎ -an

[edit] Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌvæ.lə.ˌtuː.də.ˈnɛr.i.ən/
  • (file)

[edit] Adjective

valetudinarian (comparative more valetudinarian, superlative most valetudinarian)

  1. sickly, infirm, of ailing health
    The valetudinarian habit of discussing his health had grown on Rose... -- Florence Anne Sellar MacCunn, Sir Walter Scott's Friends, 1910, p. 234
  2. being overly worried about one's health

[edit] Translations

[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Noun

valetudinarian (plural valetudinarians)

  1. A person in poor health or sickly, especially one who is constantly obsessed with their state of health
    The most uninformed mind, with a healthy body, is happier than the wisest valetudinarian. -- Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (1904), p. 168.
    She affected to be spunky about her ailments and afflictions, but she was in fact an utterly self-centered valetudinarian (Louis Auchincloss) The American Heritage Dictionary

[edit] Translations

[edit] Synonyms

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