The word Phobia stems from the Greek etymon, meaning “panicked fear or terror”.  It has progressed to mean an irrational fear, or at least exaggerated fear of something without rational explanation.  Since October brings us the month of Halloween and all things frightening, learning the back story of some of our most common (and a few lesser known) phobias might be interesting – all of which, by the way, stem from Greek words.

Claustrophobia.  One of the most common of our intense, inexplicable fears is claustrophobia.  With its root word “claustros”, the Greek word for “closed”, combined with “phobia”, the word denotes fear of enclosed places, from caves to elevators.

Acrophobia.  The fear of heights comes from the combination of the Greek words “acro”, meaning “high point” and “phobia”.  It is easy to remember this word because of the famed Greek site, the Acropolis, in Athens.  It is indeed the highest point of the city of Athens (and the center of the large metropolis), hence the name of the hill where the religious temple (the Parthenon) is found in the capital city.  Anciently, all cities in Greece had an acropolis, including on the Greek isles (the island of Rhodes, for example, still has two of these ancient sites popular with tourists, even though they are quite a climb).

Agoraphobia.  The fear of crowds also earns its name from the Greek word for “marketplace” – the Agora.  Always teaming with people, the marketplace was not an area to frequent for those with agoraphobia.  For those of us who know what it’s like to go to the supermarket the day before a significant snowstorm or the night before the Superbowl – we can empathize.

Algophobia.  The provenance for the excessive fear of pain is derived from the Greek word algos (pain).  Most rational people don’t care for pain and it’s natural to avoid it if we can. 

Ophidiphobia.  A common phobia that many may have – including yours truly.  It is the heightened fear of snakes (the Greek Ophidian).  I have encountered far too many of these creatures on the battlefield.  However, if we let them alone, they do leave us alone.  Devil’s Den, Big Round Top and Little Round Top do have a few, as do Seminary Ridge and Culp’s Hill, so be forewarned. 

Arachnophobia.  One of the most common:  a dreadful fear of spiders.  It is derived from the Greek etymon arachne for the eight-legged arachnids. 

Mysophobia.  The official definition of a germophobe.  The word stems from the Greek “myso”, which means “unclean”.  While not quite falling into this category, many of us dislike filth and would rather not eat from a garbage can or allow a dog to lick us in the face.  We also prefer that others breaking bread with us don’t double dip.  Washing one’s hands twenty times before eating, or refusing to pick up a serving spoon because another member of the family has touched it might define a mysophobe.

Cynophobia.  The excessive fear of dogs (from the Greek word “cyno”).  Usually, one has learned this fear after having a less than stellar encounter with a canine.  It’s a fear that dog lovers just don’t understand, unless we’ve been severely bitten or worse. 

Glossophobia.  The fear of public speaking (stemming from the Greek word “glosso”, meaning “tongue”), is another fairly common phobia.  It is one of the more intense fears.  I know a few people who equate public speaking with dying, and say they would prefer the latter. 

Hydrophobia.  The fear of water.  This word has changed over the years to be the official term for the disease commonly known as rabies – a sometimes fatal disease contracted through being bitten by a rabid wild animal.  The official name, which is the same as the phobia, stems from the sufferer of the ailment unable to drink water.

Aichmophobia.  The fear of needles and other sharp, pointed objects.  The word in Greek is aichmiros – the ancient word for sharp.  This is another common phobia.

Here are a few less commonly known phobias, but every bit as interesting:

Alecktorophobia.  The fear of children.

Catoptrophobia.  The fear of mirrors.

Autophobia.  The fear of being alone.

Blennophobia.  The fear of slime.

Astraphobia.  The fear of thunder and lightning – and thunderstorms in general.

Amathophobia.  The fear of dust.

Taphophobia.  The fear of being buried alive.

Hemaphobia. The fear of blood.

Traumatophobia.  Our modern definition of this word is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.  When someone has experienced a terrifying or traumatic event, often during war or combat, or from abuse, they may suffer from Traumatophobia.   The word trauma is Greek for “wound”.  Some wounds may appear to heal on the outside, but some never fully recover emotionally from terrifying ordeals.  Unfortunately, this phobia is becoming more common, but thankfully, there are increasing availability for help and treatment to overcome it.

Bibliophobia.  Fear of books.  I can’t imagine why anyone would be afraid of books, but there you are.

These are only a few of some of our intense and unexplained fears.  The more we understand the reasons behind them, the sooner we can learn to overcome them.  Please pass the word!