trichotillomania

noun

tricho·​til·​lo·​ma·​nia ˌtri-kə-ˌti-lə-ˈmā-nē-ə 

: an abnormal desire to pull out one's hair

Did you know?

The word trichotillomania derives from the Greek trich- ("hair") and tillein ("to pull or pluck"), along with the suffix -mania (from mainesthai, meaning "to be mad"). People suffering from trichotillomania will routinely pluck hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or other parts of the body, usually impulsively but sometimes with careful deliberation (such as by using tweezers). Some researchers believe that it may be a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The word for this condition first appeared in English around the dawn of the 20th century (it's generally thought to have been first coined in French by a French dermatologist).

Examples of trichotillomania in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The study also notes that the severity of trichotillomania can ride in waves throughout a person’s life for days, weeks, even years at a time. — Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 13 Mar. 2020

As with trichotillomania, these behaviors can’t be better explained by some other condition or disorder. — Anna Borges, SELF, 13 Aug. 2019

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French trichotillomanie, from tricho- tricho- + Greek tíllomai, tíllesthai "to tear one's hair (in mourning)" (middle voice of tíllein "to pluck, tear," of uncertain origin) + French -manie -mania

Note: The term was introduced by the French dermatologist François Henri Hallopeau (1842-1919) in "III. Alopécie par grattage (trichomanie ou trichotillomanie)" (Réunion clinique hebdomadaire des médecins de l'Hopital Saint-Louis …Séance - Le jeudi 7 mars 1889), Annales de dermatologie et de syphiligraphie, deuxième série, tome 10 (1889), pp. 440-41.

First Known Use

circa 1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trichotillomania

• megalomania
• collectanea
• hypomania
• miscellanea
• monomania
• leishmania
• urania
• mania
• taenia

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Medical Definition

trichotillomania

noun

tricho·​til·​lo·​ma·​nia -ˌtil-ə-ˈmā-nē-ə 

: abnormal desire to pull out one's hair

called also hairpulling, trich

trichotillomanic

-ˈman-ik 

adjective