[ 'mʌn(t)ʃˌaʊz(ə)nz ]
■ noun Psychiatry a mental disorder in which a person feigns severe illness so as to obtain medical attention.
↘( ~ by proxy ) a mental disorder in which a person seeks attention by inducing or feigning illness in another person, typically a child.
Origin
from the name of Baron Munchausen , the hero of a book of fantastic tales (1785).