Onychotillomania
/ˌɒn.ɪ.koʊˌtɪl.əˈmeɪ.ni.ə/noun
A compulsive disorder involving repeated picking or pulling at the nails or surrounding skin.
Did you know?Its ending -mania comes from Greek mania, a word tied to frenzy and ecstatic possession, so the term sounds like an ancient diagnosis of a mind seized by an irresistible force.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
onyx / onych-
“nail or claw”
Ancient Greek
Greek
tillein
“to pluck or pull out”
Ancient Greek
Greek
mania
“madness, frenzy, or obsessive passion”
19th Century
Medical Latin / English
onychotillomania
“a coined clinical term for compulsive nail-picking”
Modern English
English
onychotillomania
“the psychiatric term for repetitive nail picking or pulling”
Explore more surprising origins