-phobe

American  

Also -phobiac.

1. a combining form used to form personal nouns corresponding to nouns ending in -phobia:

   Anglophobe.

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-phobe British  

combining form

1. indicating a person or thing that fears or hates

   Germanophobe

   xenophobe

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Usage

What does -phobe mean? The combining form -phobe is used like a suffix to indicate the personal noun form of words that use the form -phobia, meaning “fear.” The form -phobe roughly means "someone with a fear." It is often used in scientific terms, especially in psychology and biology. The form -phobe comes from Greek phóbos, meaning “fear” or “panic.” The Latin translation is timor, “fear,” which is the source of words such as timid and timorous. What are variants of -phobe?A less common variant of -phobe is -phobiac, as in agoraphobiac. The form -phobe is also related to two other combining forms: -phobia and -phobic. Want to know more? Check out our Words that Use articles for each form.

Other Word Forms

• -phobic combining form

Etymology

Origin of -phobe

From Greek -phobos, adjectival derivative of phóbos “panic fear”