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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

coulrophobia en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /kəʊl.ɹəˈfəʊ.bi.ə/

Etymology

Coined in the late 1980s or 1990s, of unknown origin, appearing first, without further explanation, in lists of phobias circulating on the Internet. First use appears c. 1997 according to the OED. According to a widespread theory, the term is based on Ancient Greek κωλοβαθριστής (kōlobathristḗs, “one who goes on stilts”), allegedly chosen for lack of an obvious Ancient Greek equivalent of “clown”, + -phobia (“fear of”). This theory fails to explain the alteration of colo- to coulro-.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) The fear of clowns.
    • […] to develop coulrophobia. On the seventh, clowns from around the world […] congregate at London's Holy Trinity Church for the annual Grimaldi Memorial Service. 1999 February, “February: This month's marvels, musts, and misses”, in Condé Nast Traveler, volume 34, page 103:
    • After you plug in your wish list and dating criteria, search results spit out matches; it’s like scanning a room of a thousand and pinpointing the ten who share your favorite author and chronic coulrophobia (fear of clowns). 2004, Phineas Mollod, Jason Tesauro, The Modern Lover: A Playbook for Suitors, Spouses & Ringless Carousers, page 39:
    • The ironic twist is that he recently admitted to a possible onset of coulrophobia. 2006, Crimson de la Voire, Crimson’s Erotica: Volume One — A Collection of Stories About Submission and Pleasure, page 35:
    • ⁵Unfortunately, the first time they attempted the study, the clown accidentally burst one of the balloons. The noise frightened the children and they associated that fear response with the clown. All 15 children are currently in therapy for coulrophobia! 2003, Andy Field, Graham Hole, How to Design and Report Experiments, page 257:
    • Clowns are no laughing matter to Sean "Puffy" Combs. The swaggering rap royal is widely reported to suffer from coulrophobia, an irrational fear of the red-nosed, versized-shoe-wearing, greasepainted circus buffoons. 2002 Jared Paul Stern, with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson, "Send out the Clowns", Page Six (NYT)

Relateds

coulrophilia

Synonyms

bozophobia · clownophobia

Translations (16)

vi ám ảnh sợ hãi chú hề (fear of clowns) · eo koulrofobio (fear of clowns) · eo klaŭnofobio (fear of clowns) · nl coulrofobie (fear of clowns) · ja 道化恐怖症 (fear of clowns) · vi hội chứng sợ chú hề (fear of clowns) · vi sợ chú hề (fear of clowns) · it coulrofobia (fear of clowns) · ko 광대공포증 (fear of clowns) · de Coulrophobie (fear of clowns) · vi sợ hãi chú hề (fear of clowns) · fr coulrophobie (fear of clowns) · cmn 小丑恐惧症 (fear of clowns) · he פַּחַד מלֵיצָנֵים (fear of clowns) · ja ピエロ恐怖症 (fear of clowns) · el κλοουνοφοβία (fear of clowns)