valetudinary
Variant of valetudinarian
val·etu·di·nar·ian (val′ə to̵̅o̅′də ner′ē ən, -tyo̵̅o̅′-)
noun
- a person in poor health; invalid
- one who thinks constantly and anxiously about one's own health
Etymology: < L valetudinarius, sickly, infirm, an invalid < valetudo (gen. valetudinis), state of health, sickness < valere, to be strong: see value
adjective
- characterized by or in poor health; sickly
- anxiously concerned about one's health
Related Forms:
- valetudinarianism val′·etu′·di·nar′i·an·ism′ noun
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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