Definition of "hypochondriasis" [hy•po•chon•dri•a•sis]

• See hypochondria. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Fortunate that it was so, otherwise a lunatic asylum, or a permanent state of what the doctors call hypochondriasis, might have followed."
• "While Harris Interactive refers to those who surf the web for medical or health-related information as "cyberchondriacs", this is not exactly correct as the portmanteau derives from hypochondriasis, which is a morbid obsession with imaginary physical ailments whereas the adults surveyed in the poll merely admitted to looking online for health information."
• "So she doesn't actually meet the official psychiatric definition of "hypochondriasis," in which a misinterpretation of symptoms leads to a preoccupation with having a serious illness that interferes with daily functions and lasts at least six months despite reassurances from a doctor."