Acrophobic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Experiencing an intense fear of heights that can provoke anxiety or panic
2. Characterized by a debilitating aversion to being in high places or elevated environments
3. Relating to a psychological condition where the individual feels a strong dread of situations involving altitude

Etymology: Ancient Greek "ákros" meant "topmost" or "at the extremity," and "phóbos" meant "fear" or "dread." Combined with the Greek suffix "-phobia," these pieces were later assembled in New Latin, the scholarly Latin of early modern science and medicine, to name a fear of heights. The ancient Greeks themselves had no such word, so the term is a modern coinage built from classical parts. The first element, "acro-," has a long afterlife of its own: it appears in words for high places and extremities, such as "acropolis," the fortified hilltop of an ancient Greek city. Its use in English is a deliberate borrowing of that classical sense, applied to the body's relationship with elevation. The adjective "acrophobic" is formed from the noun "acrophobia" by adding the English suffix "-ic," which turns the noun into a description of a person or state. The suffix comes ultimately from Latin "-icus," passing through Old French and Middle English before reaching its modern form.

Synonyms: heights-fearing, vertiginous

Antonyms: height-loving, fearless