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Dec 25, 2009
This week's themeFear and desire This week's words agoraphobia dipsomania astraphobia onomatomania acrophobia This week's comments AWADmail 391 Next week's theme Words that have changed with time Make a gift that keeps on giving, all year long: A gift subscription of AWAD or give the gift of books Discuss Feedback RSS/XML A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargacrophobia
PRONUNCIATION:
(ak-ruh-FOH-bee-uh)
MEANING:
noun:
An abnormal fear of heights.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek acro- (height, tip) + -phobia (fear). Some related words are
acronym (a word formed with the tips of other words), acrobat (one who
walks on tiptoes), and acropolis (a city built on high ground).
USAGE:
"Dr Anthe George suggests that Mark would not even have been able to
stand on the balcony of his own accord because of his acute acrophobia.
'Mark was truly afraid of heights. I do not mean he was afraid of
standing on the edge of a cliff -- he was afraid of any height."Kevin Rawlinson; My Son Was Killed; The Independent (London, UK); Dec 9, 2009. See more usage examples of acrophobia in Vocabulary.com's dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. -Thomas Paine, philosopher and writer (1737-1809)
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