Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

Discuss
Email this
Feedback
RSS/XML
Permalink

A.Word.A.Day--algophobia

This week's theme: words formed using combining forms.

Algophobia (al-guh-FO-bee-uh) noun

Usually having a phobia might brand you as a nut but here is a phobia that indicates you're a regular human being, if you have it. Algophobia is the fear of pain. Though the word indicates an unusual, morbid fear of pain, producing intense anxiety.

There is even an instrument called an algometer to measure pain. Now I know why they called that grueling course "algorithms" in my computer science curriculum.

We got the word from the Greek algo- (pain) and -phobia (fear).

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)

See more usage examples of algophobia in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"The observation of subjective chill or fever, together with algophobia or algophilia, was extremely important for [the ancient Chinese physicians]." Kenneth F Kiple; The Cambridge World History of Human Disease; Cambridge University Press; 1993.

X-Bonus