Fear of spiders

Fear of spiders
An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of this fear experience undue anxiety even though they realize the risk of encountering a spider and being harmed by it is small or nonexistent. They may avoid going barefoot and may be especially alert when taking showers or getting into and out of bed. This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie called Arachnophobia. Fear of spiders is termed "Arachnophobia," a word derived from the Greek "arachne" (spider) and "phobos" (fear). The Greek word was derived from the name "Arachne," a maiden in Greek mythology whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider after the girl, a skilled weaver, challenged Athena to a weaving contest. "Arachno-" is also part of the term "arachnodactyly" which refers to long spider-like fingers and toes, a frequent finding in Marfan syndrome, a heritable disorder of connective tissue.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • fear — fear1 W1S3 [fıə US fır] n [: Old English; Origin: fAr sudden danger ] 1.) [U and C] the feeling you get when you are afraid or worried that something bad is going to happen ▪ The boy s eyes were full of fear. fear of ▪ a fear of flying ▪ There… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • fear — [[t]fɪ͟ə(r)[/t]] ♦ fears, fearing, feared 1) N VAR: oft N of n/ ing Fear is the unpleasant feeling you have when you think that you are in danger. I was sitting on the floor shivering with fear because a bullet had been fired through a window …   English dictionary

  • fear — 01. She has had a real [fear] of dogs ever since she was bitten by her neighbor s German Shepherd. 02. Rescuers are now [fearful] that no one has survived the crash of the aircraft. 03. Her terrible [fear] of spiders makes it impossible for her… …   Grammatical examples in English

  • Fear Agent — is a science fiction comic book series by Rick Remender with art by Tony Moore and Jerome Opena, who alternate on story arcs. It stars the rugged alcoholic Texas spaceman Heath Huston, the supposed last Fear Agent, in a series of fast paced… …   Wikipedia

  • Fear — For other uses, see Fear (disambiguation). A scared child shows fear in an uncertain environment. Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific… …   Wikipedia

  • Fear of animals — An abnormal and persistent fear of animals termed zoophobia. A phobia is an unreasonable fear that can cause avoidance and panic. Phobias are a relatively common type of anxiety disorder. Phobias can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy… …   Medical dictionary

  • Spiders Web — Infobox Album | Name = Spider s Web Type = Album Artist = Ambehr Released = 2005 Genre = Armenian Folk Metal Length = ? Label = Taiga Sounds *All Music Guide Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg sql=10:nq5a8qncbtz4 link] Last… …   Wikipedia

  • Cultural depictions of spiders — Precolumbian spider image from a conch shell gorget at the Great Mound at Spiro, Oklahoma. Throughout history, there have been many cultural depictions of spiders in popular culture, mythology and symbolism. From Greek mythology to African… …   Wikipedia

  • Kingdom of the Spiders — Infobox Film name = Kingdom of the Spiders caption = director = John Bud Cardos producer = Henry Fownes, Igo Kantor, Jeffrey M. Sneller writer = Alan Caillou, Richard Robinson, Stephen Lodge (story), Jeffrey M. Sneller (story) starring = William… …   Wikipedia

  • Ministry of Fear — VHS cover of Ministry of Fear Directed by Fritz Lang Produced by …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”