What does anorexy mean?
Anorexy is a medical term meaning a loss of appetite or an aversion to eating, whether arising from physical illness, medication, emotional distress, or other causes. Once a standard label in clinical vocabulary, it has been almost entirely superseded by the shorter form 'anorexia', which today most people associate specifically with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa — though medically, anorexia (and by extension anorexy) simply denotes diminished appetite as a symptom rather than any particular disease. The word derives from Greek roots: 'an-' meaning without, and 'orexis' meaning appetite or desire. Because of its rarity, readers encountering 'anorexy' are most likely to meet it in older medical texts or historical accounts of medicine. In contemporary usage it survives mainly as a curiosity of medical lexicography, a reminder that many familiar terms once had fuller, more formal siblings.
nounA loss of appetite or inability to eat; a rare term now largely synonymous with anorexia.
- Loss of appetite or aversion to food, whether from illness, medication, or psychological causes.
"The physician noted the patient's persistent anorexy during her recovery from surgery."
"Fever and nausea left him with such marked anorexy that he barely touched his meals for a week."
"Chemotherapy-induced anorexy is a common concern in supportive cancer care."
Rarely used in the plural; the singular suffices since the term describes a symptom state.
"The case notes recorded several distinct episodes of anorexy over the winter months."
Before 'anorexia' became a household word, doctors called loss of appetite 'anorexy' — a name that echoes its Greek roots in words like apoplexy and epilepsy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anorexy
Anorexy comes from the Greek 'anorexia', formed from 'an-' (without) and 'orexis' (appetite, desire), literally meaning 'without appetite'. It entered English medical usage via Latinized Greek terminology, becoming established in medical writing by the early modern period. Its sibling form 'anorexia' ultimately displaced it, and related terms such as 'anorectic' and 'anorexiant' share the same Greek root.
Related word forms
How anorexy is actually used
Anorexy is an older, largely obsolete medical term; modern clinical writing uses 'anorexia' or 'inappetence' instead. It carries no connotation of the eating disorder unless context makes that explicit.
Easily confused with anorexy
Anorexy refers simply to loss of appetite as a symptom, whereas anorexia nervosa is a specific eating disorder driven by an intense fear of gaining weight.