coulrophobia

Meaning

Noun

• The fear of clowns.

Related

Similar words

• bozophobia , clownophobia

Origin

• Coined in the late 1980s or 1990s, of unknown origin, appearing first, without further explanation, in lists of phobias circulating on the Internet. According to a widespread theory the term is supposedly based on Ancient Greek κωλοβαθριστής ("one who goes on stilts") (from κωλόβαθρον, from κῶλον + βάθρον, allegedly chosen for lack of an obvious Ancient Greek equivalent of "clown", -phobia suffix. If true, the literal meaning of coulrophobia would be "fear of limbs". This theory fails to explain the substitution of ou for o and of lro for lo.