Bulimia or bulimia nervosa is an illness in which a person has a very great fear of becoming fat, and so they make themselves vomit after eating.
bulimia in British English
(bjuːˈlɪmɪə)
noun
1.
pathologically insatiable hunger, esp when caused by a brain lesion
2. Also called: bulimia nervosa
a mental health condition characterized by a compulsion to purge oneself of the food one has consumed, sometimes after a period of binge eating
Derived forms
bulimic (buˈlimic)
noun, adjective
Word origin
C17: from New Latin, from Greek boulimia, from bous ox + limos hunger
bulimia in American English
(bjuˈlimiə; bjuˈlɪmiə; buˈlɪmiə)
noun
1. Medicine
a continuous, abnormal hunger
2.
an eating disorder, chiefly in young women, characterized by the gorging of large quantities of food followed by purging, as through self-induced vomiting
see also anorexia: in full bulimia nerˈvosa (nərˈvoʊsə)
Derived forms
bulimic (buˈlimic)
adjective
Word origin
ModL < Gr boulimia < bous, ox, cow1 + limos, hunger < ? IE base *lei-, to diminish, meager > little
Examples of 'bulimia' in a sentence
bulimia
It's not news to learn that the modelling world is rife with anorexia and bulimia.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It took me many years to overcome bulimia.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Others battle with bulimia or compulsive eating.
Wilkinson, Helena Beyond Chaotic Eating (1993)
It aims to help people with compulsive eating problems and bulimia.
French, Barbara Coping with Bulimia (1987)
Some will consider that a person can suffer from both anorexia and bulimia at the same time.
Wilkinson, Helena Beyond Chaotic Eating (1993)
From the sound of your letter, you may have bulimia and possibly anorexia as well.
Christianity Today (2000)
I thought it was a sign my anorexia and bulimia were getting better.
The Sun (2011)
Despite these views, it is obviously better to play safe and try to overcome bulimia before becoming pregnant.
French, Barbara Coping with Bulimia (1987)
She dyed her hair from its natural brown and suffered from anorexia and bulimia, weighing less than six stone in her teenage years.
The Sun (2009)
The end result of the bulimia, the eating and vomiting, is that the woman feels empty and entirely without needs.
Wilkinson, Helena Beyond Chaotic Eating (1993)
In other languages
bulimia
British English: bulimia /bjuːˈlɪmɪə/ NOUN
Bulimia or bulimia nervosa is a mental illness in which a person eats very large amounts and then makes themselves vomit.