valetudinary en · ADJ
Etymology
From Latin valētūdin- + -ary, from oblique stem of Latin valētūdō, from valeō + -tūdō. By surface analysis, valetude + -arian. Doublet of valetudinarious.
Meanings
-
(obsolete) Sickly, infirm, valetudinarian.
It produces a weak valetudinary state of body, attended by all those horrid disorders, and yet more horrid methods of cure, which are the result of luxury on the one hand, and the weak and ridiculous efforts of human art on the other.
1887, Edmund Burke, The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. I. (of 12):"His Majesty began to become valetudinary; and the hypochondria which tormented him rendered his humor very melancholy.
1727, Thomas Carlyle, History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. VI. (of XXI.):
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more valetudinary | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most valetudinary | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
valetudinariness · invaletudinary