chronomentrophobia

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek χρόνος (khrónos, “time”) and, in the rarer form without the n (see Citations:chronometrophobia), μέτρον (métron, “measure”) (compare English chronometer (“device for measuring time”)), whereas in this form claimed in phobia lists to be from Latin -mentum (“means of, instrument, medium”), which, however, does not explain the r, thus likely originated as a misspelling; +‎ -phobia.

Noun

chronomentrophobia (uncountable)

1. (rare) The fear of timepieces.
   • 2003, Stephen J. Cannell, Hollywood Tough (Shane Scully series), New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, pages 143, 145, and 264:

     I have chronomentrophobia, and believe me, having a director who understands that helps me a lot on the set because we don’t have a buncha A.D.’s running around yelling about the damn schedule. […] “Okay, look. In ten minutes it’s time for my next meal and neural blessing. We’re on a tight clock, so we better get going.” Shane thought it was a strange remark for a man with chronomentrophobia. […] “Chronomentrophobia?” Shane snorted. / “Fear of clocks,” Nicky answered. / “He actually gets away with shit like that?” Shane was appalled. […] It was that kind of funny. But the room roared with laughter. Most of them probably hadn’t dealt recently with Michael’s chronomentrophobia—a comedy-killing ailment.

   • 2007 September 20, “What’s up Doc?”, in Leader-Post, Regina, Sask., page A3, column 5:

     A: […] Strain his brain as he might, Lawyer Ron [Petrie] cannot think of any medical conditions peculiar or unique to Saskatchewan, other than, of course, acrophobia, barophobia and chronomentrophobia. / Q: Yes, exactly, the actual medical terms for the irrational fears of, respectively, heights, gravity and clocks. And that’s not to mention the complex mental ailments, the extremes of euphoria and anxiety, that are consequential to investing way more emotion than is strictly speaking healthy into a football team.

   • 2011 April 10, Bruce Deachman, “The Timekeeper”, in Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa, Ont., page B3, column 2:

     The woman who visited more than a decade ago may have suffered from chronomentrophobia, a condition obviously not shared by [Allan] Symons, although his fascination with clocks is as much a mystery — even to him — as others’ irrational fear of them.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:chronomentrophobia.