Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

münchausen syndrome

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.02 in modern English

Syllables: mun-chausen syn-drome
IPA

30

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

3

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A factitious (artificial) mental disorder in which a person feigns illness or psychological trauma in order to garner attention or sympathy.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From the German name Münchhausen, after the fantastical tales related by the fictional Baron Munchausen (sic) in Rudolf Erich Raspe's English-language novel Baron Munchausen's Narrative of His Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia (1785). The character was loosely based on Baron Hieronymus Karl Friedrich von Münchhausen (1720–1797).

Origin

Source language: German

Word Breakdown

Root: -

Usage

Inflected Forms

Münchausen syndromes (plural) Munchausen syndrome (alternative) Münchhausen syndrome (alternative) Munchhausen syndrome (alternative) Munchausen's syndrome (alternative)

Phrases

Munchausen by Internet Münchausen syndrome by proxy

Frequently Paired Words

Munchausenism

Synonyms

factitious disorder factitious disorder imposed on self

Questions

What does münchausen syndrome mean?: A factitious (artificial) mental disorder in which a person feigns illness or psychological trauma in order to garner attention or sympathy.
Where does münchausen syndrome come from?: It is traced to German.

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