Algophobias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Persistent and irrational dread of experiencing physical pain, often causing a person to avoid situations that might cause hurt
2. An excessive, intense anxiety about feeling pain that can lead someone to shun medical care or other painful experiences
3. A marked and unreasonable fear of suffering bodily hurt, which may take the form of constant worry over injury or discomfort

Etymology: "Algophobias" is the plural of "algophobia," a term built from two Greek roots: "algos," meaning pain, and "phobia," meaning fear. The "-phobia" element comes from "phobos," the Greek word for fear, which gave English a large family of compounds for specific dreads, from "claustrophobia" to "arachnophobia." The word "algophobia" was formed from these Greek elements in the way that many modern clinical terms are, by combining classical roots into a new coinage. Because it is a technical formation rather than an ancient term, the ancient Greeks would not have recognised it as a word they used. It describes a fear of pain that can be strong enough to make a person avoid doctors, dentists, or other experiences they expect to hurt. Its plural, "algophobias," refers to multiple distinct instances or types of this fear, which is how the form is used when discussing more than one case or kind of pain-related anxiety.