Aviatophobia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A phobia marked by overwhelming fear of flying that can result in substantial emotional distress and anxiety during air travel
2. An excessive and irrational fear associated with aircraft and flying, often leading to significant discomfort and avoidance of air travel
3. A condition characterized by an extreme and irrational fear of flying, which can lead to significant anxiety and the avoidance of situations involving aircraft

Etymology: The first half of "aviatophobia" is a Latin word for a bird. "Avis" gave rise to "aviator," the name for a pilot, and "aviation," the name for flight by machine. The second half is Greek. "Phobos" meant fear or dread, and it became the source of "-phobia," so the whole word joins an aircraft term to a Greek word for fear. "Phobia" is a classical combining form that English writers have attached to many specific fears, such as "claustrophobia" and "arachnophobia." Words like this were built deliberately from older roots, mostly in scientific and psychological writing, so "aviatophobia" is a modern formation. Ancient Greeks and Romans had no word for fear of flying, because they had no flying machines to fear.