A.Word.A.Day --valetudinarian

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valetudinarian

PRONUNCIATION:

(val-i-too-duh-NAYR-ee-uhn, -tyood-)

MEANING:

noun: A weak or sickly person, especially one who is constantly or overly worried about his or her health.
adjective: Chronically sick or concerned about one's health.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin valetudo (state of health), from valere (to be strong or well). Ultimately, from the Indo-European root wal- (to be strong), which is also the source of valiant, avail, valor, value, countervail, polyvalent, and wieldy. Earliest documented use: 1703.

USAGE:

"Broadway theatre has long been known as 'the fabulous invalid', but could the old valetudinarian finally have caught a fatal cold?"
Charles Spencer; British Theatre Will Thrive in a Downturn; The Telegraph (London, UK); Dec 10, 2008.

See more usage examples of valetudinarian in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Between truth and the search for truth, I opt for the second. -Bernard Berenson, art historian (1865-1959)

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