-phobia

Term: -phobia

Origin: Anc Greek

-φοβία/phobia(=combining form denoting fear)

>φέβομαι/phevomai(=run away because of fear)

Definition

1.     (psych) irrational  and intense fear as a mental disorder

2.     (biol) avoidance of certain situations

3.     (medic) describes overreaction to a stimulus

4.     (chem) describing chemical aversions

The rule of coining  “a new phobia”  is to use, as first component, a Greek word concerning a specific fear  and as  suffix the word  “-phobia”.

Examples of “-phobias”

·        Acrophobia( fear of heights).

·        Agoraphobia ( fear of places where escape is impossible)

·        Anthropophobia (fear of people).

·        Arachnophobia (fear of spiders)

·        Astraphobia( fear of thunder and lightning)

·        Entomophobia ( fear/dislike of insects).

·        Claustrophobia  (fear of being closed in).

·        Gymnophobia ( fear of nudity).

·        Gynophobia ( fear of women).

·        Haptephobia (fear of being touched)

·        Hemophobia, (fear of blood).

·        Xenophobia- Fear of strangers or foreigners.

·        Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia

·         Microbiophobia  (fear of microbes and bactyeria).

·         (fear of the no 666)

·        Nosophobia (fear of contracting a disease).

·        Nyctophobia,( Scotophobia) ( fear of darkness).

·        Paraskavedekatriaphobia, ( fear of Friday the 13th).

·        Pharmacophobia (fear of medication )

·        Pyrophobia ( fear of fire).

·        Ophidiophobia ( fear/dislike of snakes).