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The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (from Greek φόβος phobos, "fear") occur in technical usage in psychiatry to construct words that describe irrational, abnormal, unwarranted, persistent, or disabling fear as a mental disorder (e.g. agoraphobia), in chemistry to describe chemical aversions (e.g. hydrophobic), in biology to describe organisms that dislike certain conditions (e.g ...
The word phobia comes from the Greek: φόβος (phóbos), meaning "fear" or "morbid fear". The regular system for naming specific phobias uses prefixes based on a Greek word for the object of the fear, plus the suffix -phobia .
Elevator panel in a building in the United States, where floors proceed from 12 to 14. Triskaidekaphobia (/ ˌ t r ɪ s k aɪ ˌ d ɛ k ə ˈ f oʊ b i ə / ⓘ TRIS-kye-DEK-ə-FOH-bee-ə, / ˌ t r ɪ s k ə-/ TRIS-kə-; from Ancient Greek τρεισκαίδεκα (treiskaídeka) 'thirteen' and Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) 'fear') [1] is fear or avoidance of the number 13.
In other words, acrophobia could be associated with a lack of exposure to heights in early life. [13] The degree of fear varies, and the term phobia is reserved for those at the extreme end of the spectrum. Researchers have argued that a fear of heights is an instinct found in many mammals, including domestic animals and humans.
Artistic depiction of a child afraid of the dark and frightened by their shadow. (Linocut by the artist Ethel Spowers (1927).) Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among toddlers, children and, to a varying degree, adults. A fear of the dark does not always concern darkness itself; it can also be a fear of possible or imagined dangers ...
The term gynophobia comes from the Greek γυνή – gunē, meaning "woman" [7] and φόβος – phobos, "fear". [8] The Oxford English Dictionary cites the term's earliest known use as an 1886 writing by physician Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. [9] Hyponyms of the term "gynophobia" include feminophobia. [10]
Gephyrophobia is the anxiety disorder or specific phobia characterized by the fear of bridges and tunnels, especially those that are older.As a result, sufferers of gephyrophobia may avoid routes that will take them over bridges, or if they are a passenger, will act very apprehensively when passing over a bridge.
Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking. [1] The word glossophobia derives from the Greek γλῶσσα glossa (tongue) and φόβος phobos (fear or dread.) The causes of glossophobia are uncertain but explanations include communibiology and the illusion of transparency.