Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia
An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers from arachnophobia 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. "Arachnophobia" is 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.
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arach·no·pho·bia ə-.rak-nə-'fō-bē-ə n pathological fear or loathing of spiders

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arach·no·pho·bia (ə-rak″no-foґbe-ə) [arachno- + -phobia] irrational fear of spiders.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Arachnophobia — (from Greek arachne (αράχνη), spider and phobia (φοβία), fear ) is a specific phobia, an abnormal fear of spiders. It is among the most common of all phobias. The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others (and sometimes to the… …   Wikipedia

  • arachnophobia — (n.) 1925, from comb. form of ARACHNID (Cf. arachnid) + phobia fear (see PHOBIA (Cf. phobia)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • arachnophobia — ► NOUN ▪ extreme fear of spiders. DERIVATIVES arachnophobe noun arachnophobic adjective. ORIGIN from Greek arakhn spider …   English terms dictionary

  • Arachnophobia — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel: Arachnophobia Originaltitel: Arachnophobia Produktionsland: USA Erscheinungsjahr: 1990 Länge: 105 Minuten Originalsprache: Englisch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Arachnophobia — Arachnophobie (film)  Cet article concerne le film. Pour la phobie psychologique, voir Arachnophobie. Arachnophobie Titre original Arachnophobia Réalisation Frank Marshall Acteurs principaux Jeff Daniels …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Arachnophobia (video game) — Arachnophobia is a video game based on the film Arachnophobia . It was developed by BlueSky Software and Disney for the DOS, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and Amiga platforms.The player assumes the role of Delbert McClintock, a bug exterminator and… …   Wikipedia

  • Arachnophobia (disambiguation) — Arachnophobia may refer to one of the following: *Arachnophobia, fear of spiders * Arachnophobia (film), a 1990 American comedy horror film starring Jeff Daniels. * Arachnophobia (video game) …   Wikipedia

  • Arachnophobia (film) — Infobox Film name = Arachnophobia caption = Theatrical release poster. director = Frank Marshall producer = Don Jakoby Richard Vane Steven Spielberg (executive producer) writer = Story: Don Jakoby Al Williams Screenplay: Don Jakoby Wesley Strick… …   Wikipedia

  • Arachnophobia (Film) — Filmdaten Deutscher Titel Arachnophobia Produktionsland USA …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • arachnophobia — noun Date: 1925 pathological fear or loathing of spiders • arachnophobe noun • arachnophobic adjective or noun …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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