koro

n. a culture-bound syndrome observed primarily in males in China and southeast Asia. It is an acute anxiety reaction in which the male suddenly fears that his penis is shrinking and will disappear into his abdomen, bringing death. (In females, the fear is focused on the vulva and nipples.) Individuals may also experience shame if they associate the fear with immoral sexual behavior. Also called jinjinia bemar; rok-joo; shook yong; shuk yang; suk-yeong; suo yang.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

peptide

n. a short chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Peptides are usually identified by the number of amino acids in the chain. For example, dipeptides have two amino acids, tripeptides three, tetrapeptides four, and so on. See also polypeptide; protein.