Dodecaphobia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An intense and irrational fear of the number twelve, often leading to avoidance of situations involving this numeral
2. A psychological condition characterized by an overwhelming dread of the numeral twelve, frequently causing anxiety or distress
3. A specific phobia where individuals experience significant fear or apprehension towards the number twelve and its associations

Etymology: Dodecaphobia is a modern coinage built from two Greek roots. "Dōdeka" is the Greek word for twelve, and "phobia" comes from "phobos," meaning fear or dread. The suffix "-phobia" was itself formed in New Latin, drawing on Greek elements, and English borrowed it as a productive combining form, which is why it can be attached to almost any noun to name a fear of that thing. The word is therefore not an ancient Greek term. Greeks had no word for a fear of the number twelve; the combination was assembled later by people who knew the classical building blocks and wanted a clinical-sounding label. The "dodeca-" element appears in other scientific and technical terms, such as "dodecahedron," a twelve-faced solid, which shares the same Greek numeral.