noun
anorexia
Loss or lack of appetite.
The report listed anorexia among the patient’s symptoms.
Etymology
The pieces mean a lack of appetite or desire. In this medical sense the word names the symptom of diminished appetite, whatever its underlying cause.
More examples
- The illness caused temporary anorexia and fatigue.
- The clinician asked when the anorexia had begun.
- The study measured appetite loss, described as anorexia.
Forms
anorexia
Similar words
- appetite loss
- Appetite loss is the plain-language equivalent; anorexia is the medical term in this sense.
- anorexia nervosa
- Anorexia nervosa is a specific eating disorder; medical anorexia simply describes lack of appetite.