- Distinguish from the word holism, which describes properties of systems.
In contemporary modern English "-holic" is a suffix that can be added to a subject to denote an addiction to it. The term is derived from alcoholism, one of the first addictions to be widely identified both medically and socially.
It should be noted that the word alcoholism is broken up into the root, "alcohol", and the suffix "-ism", not "alco" and "-holism". The suffix "-holism" is truly a new invention, having taken the syllable hol directly from the root word. The morphemic breakdown of the word "alcohol" is actually from Arabic al, meaning "the" and kuhul meaning "paint". In fact, there are correct medico-legal terms for addictions which are colloquially called "workaholism". Dipsomania is the correct medico-legal term for alcoholism, for instance. 1
- (Another example of false splitting of a compound word is splitting 'helicopter' (correctly etymologically 'helico-pter' = "turning wing") into 'heli + copter', from which came 'heliport' and 'jetcopter2'.)
The term "-holism" is not an accepted medical term, but is a fairly prominent neologism. As such, despite its widespread usage, it lacks a formal definition. The term can be used in many ways ranging from describing a physical or psychological dependency to something (ex. sexaholism 3 4), to a tendency to do something obsessively (ex. workaholism 5, shopaholism 6). "-Holism" can also be used by someone to express a strong passion for or interest in something. For example, professional wrestler Chris Jericho would refer to his fans as Jerichoholics 7.
| Colloquial term | addiction | medico-legal term |
|---|---|---|
| danceaholic | dance addiction | choreomania |
| workaholic | work addiction | ergomania |
| sexaholic | sex addiction | erotomania, satyromania, nymphomania |
| sugarholic | sugar addiction | saccharomania |
| chocoholic | chocolate |
References
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary : alcohol
- ^ jetcopter
- ^ Sexaholism: The Closet Addiction (article) by Niki Collins-Queen on AuthorsDen:January 29, 2005
- ^ Sexaholism: A Perspective - Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention:(Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, Volume 13, Issue 1 January 2006 , pages 69 - 94)
- ^ [1](blank page?)
- ^ Culture Shock:Shopaholism (by Prachi Thanawala}
- ^ WWE: Inside WWE > News > Archive > Chris Jericho to rock Celebrity Duets:By: Jen Hunt Written: August 23, 2006
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- This page was last modified on 31 December 2008, at 10:57.
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