phaneromania

P3H4A1N1E1R1O1M3A1N1I1A1

noun

An uncontrollable impulse to pick at a spot or growth on one's body; the habit of picking at scabs, biting one's nails, or picking pimples.

Scrabble 19
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Meanings

nounphaneromania (plural phaneromanias)

plural phaneromanias

  1. An uncontrollable impulse to pick at a spot or growth on one's body; the habit of picking at scabs, biting one's nails, or picking pimples.
  2. The constant preoccupation with some external part of the body, as plucking the beard, pulling the lobe of the ear, etc.

Origin

Possibly from phanero- and -mania

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

phaneromania. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phaneromania

MLA

“phaneromania.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phaneromania. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phaneromania,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phaneromania.

Source: phaneromania on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.