'aurophobia' originates from a combination of Latin and Greek, specifically the Latin word 'aurum' and the Greek word 'phóbos', where 'aurum' meant 'gold' and 'phóbos' meant 'fear'.

'aurophobia' was formed in modern medical/psychological coinage by combining Latin 'aurum' (gold) and Greek 'phóbos' (fear) and eventually entered English as the compound noun 'aurophobia'.

Initially, the components meant 'gold' and 'fear', and the compound has maintained the meaning 'fear of gold' in modern usage.