Ergophobias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Irrational or excessive fears of employment and labour, experienced as a recurring anxiety about working
2. Intense, persistent dread of having to work or perform job duties, sometimes severe enough to disrupt daily life
3. Abnormal aversion to labour or occupational tasks, marked by a strong and lasting fear of working

Etymology: "Ergophobias" is the plural of "ergophobia," a noun meaning fear of work. The base element comes from Greek "ergon," meaning "work" or "deed," which also appears in words like "energy" and "erg," the unit of work. The second element is "-phobia," from Greek "phobos," meaning "fear" or "panic." Like many medical and psychological terms, "ergophobia" is a modern coinage built from these classical roots, not a word that ancient Greek speakers used. It was formed in the 19th or early 20th century as part of the wider practice of naming conditions with Greek combining forms. The plural "ergophobias" is rarely used in practice, since the word is normally treated as uncountable. It appears mainly when someone wants to refer to several distinct instances or kinds of fear of work, which is the sense the plural form carries here.