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Discuss Email this Feedback RSS/XML Permalink A.Word.A.Day--oniomania Oniomania is another word for the urge to shop till you drop, habit of the debit, thrill of the bill. According to a pearl of ancient wisdom, we don't acquire things, things acquire us. In the case of oniomaniacs, it is perhaps the fun of acquiring things that acquires them. Imelda Marcos of the Philippines could be one prime example of this category, also known as shopaholics, though she could be better known as a shoeaholic. This week we'll look at five uncommon words with common suffixes and prefixes. oniomania (O-nee-uh-MAY-nee-uh, -MAYN-yuh) noun Compulsive shopping; excessive, uncontrollable desire to buy things. [From Latin, from Greek xnios (for sale), from onos (price) + -mania.] -Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org) "Like other compulsive disorders, scientists are working on a cure for oniomania. And according to a report in HealthScout, it could be just around the corner. At Stanford University, researchers are testing a drug to treat a shopaholic's desire to spend." Phenomena; Ottawa Citizen (Canada); Nov 25, 2000. X-Bonus Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence. -Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

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