DictionaryRoot: hypo-
Greek
hypo-
under, below; deficient
Forms
- hypo-
- hyp- — Used before a vowel without an initial h sound in Greek.
- hyph- — Used before a vowel that began with an h sound in Greek.
Origin
Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *upo, ‘under.’
Note
Being below can describe location, rank, or an amount below the usual level.
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noun / adjective
hypochondriac
high-puh-KAHN-dree-ak/hˌaɪpʌkˈɑndriæk/
Excessively worried about having an illness, or a person with this worry.
Etymology
The region “under the cartilage” of the ribs was once considered a source of melancholy. A hypochondriac was therefore first a melancholy person, before the meaning narrowed to someone excessively worried about illness.