A rich vocabulary is absolutely essential for many entrance exams like GMAT, GRE, Cat etc. Learning vocabulary can be boring and a tedious task. The best way to approach vocabulary is through specific topics. When this technique is combined with roots, prefixes and suffixes the task becomes easier.
The word ‘phobia originates from the Greek word ‘phobos’ meaning ‘fear’. Today we take it to mean fear combined with a sense of panic. The fear is overpowering to this extent that a person tends to panic on coming across the thing from which he feels scared. The Greek word ‘mania’ is used as such in the English language. It stands for‘madness’. It is also taken to mean ‘a passion, a craze.’ Both the words are used as suffixes also.
In this article we look at the etymology of the phobias and manias and also look at more words derived using the root.
- Acrophobia: Acrophobia is the fear of heights. It is coined from the Greek roots ‘akros’ meaning ‘at the end’, ‘at the top’ or ‘the tip’ combined with ‘phobos’. More words using the root ‘acro’ – acrobat,acromania, acropetal.
- Agrophobia: Agrophobia is the fear of open spaces. The word is derived by combining the root (Greek) ‘agros’ meaning ‘open space’ with ‘phobos’ being used as a suffix. More words using the root ‘agora’ – agronome, agronomics.
- Algophobia: Algophobia is the fear of pain. The word is obtained by the root ‘algos’ meaning ‘pain’ with the suffix ‘phobos’. The other words using the root ‘algos’ are – algogenic, algolagnia.
- Claustrophobia: Claustrophobia is a morbid fear of closed places. The word is a combination of the Latin root ‘claud’ meaning ‘to close’ combined with ‘phobos’. More words using the root are – claustral, claustrum, cloister.
- Gamophobia: Gamophobia is a morbid fear of being married. The word is obtained by combining the root ‘gamos’ with the suffix ‘phobos’. More words using the root are – polygamy, bigamy.
- Ophidiophobia: Ophidiphiobia is a morbid fear of snakes and reptiles. The word is derived by combining the Greek root ‘ophites’ meaning serpentine, with the root root ‘phobos’. The other words using the root ‘ophites’ are- ophidian, ophite, ophiology.
- Treiskaidekaphobia: It is the fear of number thirteen. It is one of the most prevalent of the phobias. The word is a combination of the Greek root ‘treiskaideka’ meaning ‘thirteen’ combined with ‘phobos’.
- Xenophobia: Xenophobia is the fear of foreigners or strangers. It is a combination of the Greek root ‘xenos’ meaning ‘foreign or stranger’ with ‘phobos’. More words using the root ‘xenos’- xenomania, xenogamy
The roots that we have covered till this stage are- ‘phobos’ , ‘mania’, ‘acro’, ‘agro’, ‘xenos’, ‘triskaideka’, ‘algos’, ‘ophite’, ‘gamos’, ‘claustrum’ . An additional list of phobias is available for download.