Meanings
abbreviation BN
- uncountablemedicineAn eating disorder characterized by a binge-and-purge cycle: extreme overeating followed by self-induced vomiting.
Synonyms: bulimia
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn eating disorder characterized by a binge-and-purge cycle: extreme overeating followed by self-induced vomiting.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna disorder of eating in which the person alternates between strong craving for food and aversion to food; characterized by excessive eating followed by periods of fasting or self-induced vomiting
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinnervōsa“nervous”
- Ancient Greekβουλῑμῐ́ᾱ“ravenous hunger”
- Latinbūlīmia
- Englishbulimia nervosa
Learned borrowing from Latin būlīmia, from Ancient Greek βουλῑμῐ́ᾱ (boulīmĭ́ā, “ravenous hunger”), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”) + λῑμός (līmós, “hunger, famine”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, “-ia”), and Latin nervōsa (“nervous”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
bulimia nervosa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bulimia%20nervosa
“bulimia nervosa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bulimia%20nervosa. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bulimia nervosa,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bulimia%20nervosa.
Source: bulimia nervosa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.