teratophobia
English
Etymology
terato- (“pertaining to birth defects”) + -phobia (“fear”), from Ancient Greek τέρας (téras, “monster”).
Noun
teratophobia (uncountable)
- (rare) An irrational fear of monsters (terrifying creatures, or deformed children).
- For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:teratophobia.
Usage notes
- Terato- originated at a time when deformed children were termed "monsters"; this practice is now archaic, but the prefix lives on.
Further reading
- teratophobia at OneLook Dictionary Search