'linguaphobia' originates from a hybrid formation of Latin and Greek: Latin 'lingua' (meaning 'tongue' or 'language') + Greek 'phobia' from 'phobos' (meaning 'fear').

'linguaphobia' is a modern coinage using Latin 'lingua' + Greek-derived suffix '-phobia'; it did not evolve through Middle English but was formed in recent English by combining roots to express 'fear of languages.'

Initially coined simply as a descriptive compound meaning 'fear of tongues/languages'; it has come to cover both psychological fear/anxiety about languages and sociopolitical hostility toward linguistic groups.