hypochondriac /-kon″drē·ak/ [Gk, hypo, under, chondros, cartilage] , 1. adj., pertaining to the regions of the upper abdomen beneath the lower ribs and lateral to the epigastric region. See also hypochondriac region. 2. n., a person who is so preoccupied with matters of ill health that the state of mind itself becomes a disability. −hypochondriacal, adj.
