Acarophobia

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌækəɹəˈfəʊbi.ə/

Definitions

1. A psychological condition marked by an irrational dread of sensations resembling itching or the perception of being infested by small organisms is recognized as a distinct phobia
2. This type of anxiety disorder reflects an intense fear associated with the feeling of itchiness and the belief in the presence of minute parasites
3. A specific anxiety condition characterized by an extreme fear of itching sensations combined with the belief that one is infested with tiny creatures can be identified as a unique phobia

Etymology: Acarophobia is built from two Greek-derived parts. The first, "acaro-", comes from "akari", the Greek word for a mite, a tiny arachnid-like creature; it is the same root that gives the name of the mite family Acari. The second, "-phobia", comes from Greek "phobos", meaning fear or dread. Put together, the term names a fear of mites, and in its modern clinical sense, a dread of the sensation that tiny creatures are crawling on or burrowing under the skin. The word is a modern coinage rather than an ancient one. Like many medical and psychological terms, it was assembled from classical Greek elements to name a condition that had not been given a formal label in antiquity, so it should not be read as something the Greeks themselves used. The combining forms do the work: "acaro-" points to the mite, and "-phobia" to the anxiety, which is exactly how the condition is described.

Synonyms: arachnophobia, entomophobia, insectophobia