Ornithophobia

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɔɹnɪθəˈfoʊbiə/

Definitions

1. An irrational fear of birds manifests as anxiety or phobia which often leads individuals to avoid places where birds are present or to experience distress when encountering them
2. This condition entails an overwhelming dread of avian creatures, resulting in significant emotional discomfort or avoidance behavior in environments frequented by birds
3. The experience of this fear may include both physical and psychological symptoms when confronted with birds, leading to a profound apprehension that affects daily activities

Etymology: Ornithophobia is a compound built from two Greek elements. The first, "ornitho-", comes from the Greek "ornis" (genitive "ornithos"), meaning "bird," which also gives English words like ornithology, the scientific study of birds. The second, "-phobia," comes from the Greek "phobos," meaning fear or dread. Joined together, the pieces describe exactly what the word names: an intense, irrational fear of birds. The word is a modern coinage. Like many medical and psychological terms built from classical roots, it was assembled in the 19th or 20th century rather than used by the ancient Greeks, who had no word with this exact meaning. The pattern of attaching "-phobia" to a Greek root to name a specific fear became common in clinical writing in that period, which is why terms of this kind are so regular and easy to decode.