valetudinarian - noun or adjective - someone that is overly anxious or concerned about his/her/their health
Current events concerning health are pretty much inescapable today. Even though COVID-19 appears to be waning in this country, it still makes the front page, which is why "valetudinarian" is a particularly apt choice for this blog. According to Google, the word is Latin in origin. The prefix valere (be well) is a bit deceiving as it reminds me and probably you of a similar word, valedictorian, the stellar scholar that tends to be the primary orator at graduations. Valetudo refers to health, but valetudinarius (in ill health) seems to be the match for valetudinarian.
If you have ever known a valetudinarian, you would agree that he or she is never "the life of the party." Why? No matter how old you are, you won't find anyone that talks about his or her ailments to be entertaining in the least. Case in point, an ex of mine who is now a key member of my unofficial club, Platonic Anonymous (made up of my men friends who may or may not have been ex-lovers), is a bit of a hypochondriac. What's worse is that he seems to delight in discussing his sundry physical maladies, such as the complications surrounding his recent knee replacement surgery. Whenever we get together, he usually comes armed with x-rays (conveniently memorized on his smart phone), illustrating his tales of woe. Is this a turn on? Nope. Now you know why he's at the top of the list in Platonic Anonymous.
Suffice it to say, valetudinarians are not in the least sexy. I'm just sayin' in case you might want to mention your last doctor's visit to your next first date on Match.com. Bring up the trip you took to the Maldives instead. You may be able to cover more ground in more ways than one ;).
Enjoy the day!
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