English Explanatory Dictionary

Polle syndrome

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Münchausen syndrome by proxy

Word forms

Polle syndrome

Etymology

Coined by Burman and Stevens, from the then-common belief that Baron Münchhausen's second wife gave birth to a daughter named Polle which the baron declared was not his. The term fell out of favour after 1984, when it was discovered that Polle was not the baby's name, but that of her mother's hometown.

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