valetudinarian : M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for October 28 is:

valetudinarian \val-uh-too-duh-NAIR-ee-un\ noun
: a person of a weak or sickly constitution; especially : one whose chief concern is being or becoming a chronic invalid

Example sentence:
Will complained constantly of his aches, pains, and sniffles; he was a terrible valetudinarian.

Did you know?
It's ironic that hypochondriacs and others who are convinced that their health is fragile often outlive their heartier compatriots. It is also ironic that "valetudinarian," a word for someone who is sickly (or at least thinks he or she is) comes from "valere," a Latin word that means "to be strong" or "to be well." Most of the English offspring of "valere" imply having some kind of strength or force -- consider, for instance, "valiant," "prevail," "valor," and "value." But the Latin "valere" also gave rise to "valetudo." In Latin, "valetudo" refers to one's state of health (whether good or bad), but by the time that root had given rise to "valetudinarian" in the early 1700s, English-speaking pessimists had given it a decidedly sickly spin.

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