Nocebo
/noʊˈsiːboʊ/noun
A harmless substance or treatment that causes negative symptoms because the person expects harm.
Did you know?Nocebo was coined in modern medicine as the dark twin of placebo, from Latin *nocēre* (“to harm”), showing that expectations themselves can produce real physical effects.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
nocēre
“to harm, hurt, injure”
Latin
Latin
nocēbō
“I shall harm”
20th Century
English
nocebo
“a harmless treatment that causes symptoms through negative expectation”
Modern English
English
nocebo
“the negative-expectation counterpart to a placebo”