valetudinarian

(ˌvælɪˌtjuːdɪˈnɛərɪən

) or

valetudinary

(ˌvælɪˈtjuːdɪnərɪ

)

noun plural -narians or -naries

1 a person who is or believes himself to be chronically sick; invalid

2 a person excessively worried about the state of his health; hypochondriac

▷ adjective

3 relating to, marked by, or resulting from poor health

4 being a valetudinarian

5 trying to return to a healthy state

[C18: from Latin valētūdō state of health, from valēre to be well]

> ˌvaleˌtudiˈnarianˌism

noun