-phobia
a. L. -phobia, a. Gr. -ϕοβία, forming abst. ns. from the adjs. in -ϕόβος (see -phobe) with sense ‘dread, horror’; as in ὑδροϕοβία, hydrophobia ‘horror of water’. Also in modern words formed in Eng. by analogy, as Anglophobia, Gallophobia, Germanophobia, Russophobia, some of them imitating Fr. forms in -phobie. The following exemplify the uses to which -phobia has been put:
| 1547– [see hydrophobia]. 1803 Gallophobia [see Gallo-1 in comb.]. 1803 A. Seward Lett. (1811) VI. 94 He is a very laconic personage, and has upon him the penphobia. 1824 Southey in Life (1849) I. 125 She laboured under a perpetual dustophobia; and a comical disease it was. 1843 Blackw. Mag. LIV. 245 That powerful..writer..depicts the same regiphobia as raging among the Parisian Charlatanerie. 1861 Ramsay Remin. i. 41 The account given me by my correspondent of the Fife swinophobia is as follows. 1887 Pall Mall G. 17 Dec. 1/1 Confounding it with ‘Germanophobia’, ‘Francophobia’, or as many ‘phobias’ as you like! 1890 Cent. Dict., Phobophobia, morbid dread of being alarmed. 1895 tr. Max Nordau's Degeneration 242 It was unnecessary for Magnan to give a special name to each sympton of degeneration, and to draw up in array.. the host of ‘phobias’ and ‘manias’. Agoraphobia (fear of open space), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed space), rupophobia (fear of dirt) [etc.]. 1896 Westm. Gaz. 6 June 2/2 The cycling craze has produced the antagonistic disease of cyclophobia. 1902 Ibid. 21 Oct. 2/3 There were symptoms in the City attitude of a certain amount of L.C.C.-phobia [= dread of the London County Council]. |
Hence -ˈphobic forming adjs., -ˈphobiac, -phobist forming ns.
| 1900 Daily News 15 Aug. 3/1 The professional Anglo⁓phobiac. 1902 Daily Chron. 13 Oct. 5/5 Several Anglo⁓phobic deputies have announced their intention of appearing in their official scarves. |