hydrophobia

American  

[hahy-druh-foh-bee-uh] / ˌhaɪ drəˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

1. an extreme dread or fear of water, especially when associated with painful involuntary throat spasms from a rabies infection.

2. rabies.

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hydrophobia British  

/ ˌhaɪdrəˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. another name for rabies

2. a fear of drinking fluids, esp that of a person with rabies, because of painful spasms when trying to swallow Compare aquaphobia

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hydrophobia Scientific  

/ hī′drə-fō′bē-ə /

1. Abnormal fear of water.

2. Rabies.

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Word History

Hydrophobia is an older term for the disease rabies, and it means “fear of water.” Because of this name, many people think that rabies makes one afraid of water. In fact, this is not the case (although rabies does cause mental confusion of other kinds). The name hydrophobia comes from the fact that animals and people with rabies get spasms in their throat muscles that are so painful that they cannot eat or drink, and so will refuse water in spite of being very thirsty.

Other Word Forms

• hydrophobic adjective

Etymology

Origin of hydrophobia

First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin, from Greek hydrophobía; hydro- ¹, -phobia

Explanation

Foaming at the mouth? Terrified of drinking water? You're displaying all the signs of hydrophobia, a common symptom of rabies. Unfortunately by this point you're probably beyond curing. Or reading online definitions. Take hydro (meaning "water") and phobia (meaning "fear") and you have hydrophobia — a fear of water. This could be a purely psychological issue that started in the lake at summer camp, or it could be physically motivated by disease — such as rabies.

Example Sentences

By the time of her death she was refusing to drink, despite desperate efforts to hydrate her, and the inquest was told this was sign of hydrophobia, a fear of water commons in rabies cases.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

The dog or monkey or raccoon infected with rabies becomes wildly thirsty — yet at the same time also suffers from hydrophobia.

From Washington Times • Apr. 3, 2023

Joining anxieties such as claustrophobia and hydrophobia, xenophobia appeared in medical dictionaries of the time as “the morbid dread of meeting strangers.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2021

Indeed, humans who suffer rabies experience hydrophobia and difficulty swallowing, which lets the virus build up in the victims' mouth.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2020

I was plenty scared of the hydrophobia plague that Burn Sanderson told me about.

From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson