My various dictionaries don't include the word "dysmorphia." Does anyone know the literal definition? Does it derive from "morphine" as "morphia" does? Ian McEwan uses it in his new novel "Solar," but his usage doesn't seem to relate to "morphine.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Olephredd

welcome, Oleph!

M-W gives this:



and there's a Wikipedia entry under that title: body dysmorphic disorder

Dysmorphia is derived from two Greek roots.

"Dys" means "bad or unlucky"
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=dys-

"morphe" means "shape or form"

"Dysmorphia" therefore means "bad shape.

It does appear to be related as a cousin to morphine.
According to http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=morphine
morphine is derived from "Morpheus" the Greek god of dreams, but But "Morpheus" is also derived from morphe, presumably because in dreams we see the form of things.

If the effects of related products like oxycodone and vicodin are any indication, morphine makes one very sleepy.

WELCOME

morphine is derived from "Morpheus" the Greek god of dreams

The name Morpheus was coined by Ovid (in his Metamorphoses xi.635), where he is the god of dreams and the son of Somnus 'sleep'. The usual connection is that in dreams Morpheus can take an shape he wants to.

At pater et populo natorum mille suorum
excitat artificem simulatorumque figurae
Morphea: non illo quisquam sollertius alter
exprimitincessus vultumque sonumque loquendi.

But the father rouses Morpheus from the throng
of his thousand sons, a cunning imitator of the human form.
No other is more skillful than he in representing
the git, the features, and the speech of men.

[Translation Frank Justus Miller.]

context is usually helpful in these situations; i.e.

"An early sign of Beard's distress was dysmorphia, or perhaps it was dysmorphia he was suddenly cured of. At last he knew himself for what he was." sounds to me as though disfigurement or deformity is at work here.

Brilliant!

--as usual. :-)

Just to be pedantic, and while I quite like the quote, there is no actual disfigurement or deformity. Rather, there is the perception of such. The classical example is anorexia nervosa - the patient perceives themselves to be overweight when they are quite clearly not.