rhinotillexomania

/ˌɹaɪnəʊtɪˌlɛksəˈmeɪniə/

rhinotillexomania

English Noun

Definition

Compulsive nose-picking; the insertion of a finger into one's nose.

Etymology

From rhino- (“nose, nasal”) + Latin tillexis (“habit of plucking”, see below) + -o- + -mania (“obsession”). The tillexis stem is seemingly a New Latin borrowing from Ancient Greek τίλλω (tíllō, “I pluck or pull”). There is a divergence regarding the exo affix. It is suggested it may derive from ἔξω (éxō, “out”) or έξη (éxē, “habit”).