hydrophobia
|hy-dro-pho-bi-a|
🇺🇸
/ˌhaɪdrəˈfoʊbiə/
🇬🇧
/ˌhaɪdrəˈfəʊbiə/
fear of water
Etymology
'hydrophobia' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'hydrophóbos', where 'hydr-' or 'hydro-' meant 'water' and 'phobos' meant 'fear'.
'hydrophobia' changed from the Greek word 'hydrophóbos' into Late Latin/Neo-Latin 'hydrophobia' and was adopted into English (medical usage) in the modern period (c.17th–19th centuries).
Initially it meant 'fear of water' generally; over time it became closely associated with the symptom of rabies and, in modern usage, is often used for that medical sense while 'aquaphobia' is preferred for a general psychological fear of water.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an abnormal or morbid fear of water (a psychological phobia).
Her hydrophobia prevented her from learning to swim.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a classical medical term for a symptom of rabies in which the patient refuses or cannot swallow and shows an apparent fear of water.
Hydrophobia is a classical sign of advanced rabies.
Synonyms
Noun 3
rare/obsolete: an aversion to or repulsion of water (historical/technical usage; related to 'hydrophobic').
In older texts, hydrophobia was sometimes used to describe materials that repel water.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/29 14:16