Meanings
nounPolle syndrome (uncountable)
- uncountableMünchausen syndrome by proxy
Origin
Coined by Burman and Stevens, from the then-common belief that Baron Münchhausen's second wife gave birth to a daughter named Polle which the baron declared was not his. The term fell out of favour after 1984, when it was discovered that Polle was not the baby's name, but that of her mother's hometown.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Polle syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Polle%20syndrome
MLA
“Polle syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Polle%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Polle syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Polle%20syndrome.
Source: Polle syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.