climacophobia

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English

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Etymology

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From Ancient Greek κλῖμαξ (klîmax, ladder, staircase) + New Latin -phobia, from Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, fear).

Noun

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climacophobia (uncountable)

  1. The fear of staircases or of falling down stairs.
    • 1965, Charles M. Schulz, A Charlie Brown Christmas, 05:46-05:51:
      Lucy: Are you afraid of staircases? If you are, then you have climacophobia.
    • 2001 August 16, Leigh Butler, “TAN: Phobias (was Re: TAN: Summer Reading recommendations)”, in rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan[1] (Usenet):
      I myself have recently developed mild climacophobia (fear of falling downstairs). Don't know why, but I'm convinced that someday I'll fall down a flight of stairs and hurt myself badly.
    • 2004, Natalie Kristina Goldstraw, “Phobos”, in Superlative: Echoes of the Postmodern Condition, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 103:
      I once knew a tall kyphophobic man,
      Who was sick of stooping so low;
      Sadly he developed climacophobia,
      When he moved from his bungalow.

Synonyms

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