Dictionary

triskaidekaphobia en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• trĭs'kī-dĕk'ə-fō'bē-ə
• /ˌtɹɪskaɪdɛkəˈfəʊbi.ə/

Etymology

Etymology tree English triskaideka- Proto-Indo-European *bʰegʷ- Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek -φοβία (-phobía)der. Latin New Latinbor. English -phobia English triskaidekaphobia From triskaideka- (“thirteen”) + -phobia.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Fear or dislike of the number thirteen (13).
   • The great Austrian-American composer Arnold Schoenberg had such a severe case of triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13), he omitted numbering the 13th measure in some of his later works, substituting it with the notation “12a.” 2019 December 13, Marika Gerken, “Friday the 13th: How it came to be and why it’s considered unlucky”, in CNN:
   • Yet, despite beliefs that triskaidekaphobia began long ago and has been passed down through the centuries, the earliest known reference to Friday the 13th as a dreaded day did not appear until 1913. It is merely a 20th century invention. 2017 October 12, Albert Garcia, “What is the word for fear of the number 13? Triskaidekaphobia”, in Calliope Magazine, page 3:
   • There’s even a name to describe the irrational dread of the date: paraskevidekatriaphobia — a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a fear of the number 13. 2021 August 12, Christobel Hastings, “Why is Friday the 13th unlucky? The cultural origins of an enduring superstition”, in CNN:

Forms

Deriveds

triskaidekaphobe · triskaidekaphobic

Relateds

friggatriskaidekaphobia · paraskevidekatriaphobia · paraskavedekatriaphobia

Translations (19)

pt triscaidecafobia (fear or dislike of the number 13) · ru трискайдекафобия (fear or dislike of the number 13) · ko 13 공포증 (fear or dislike of the number 13) · cmn 十三恐懼症 /十三恐惧症 (fear or dislike of the number 13) · la triskaidekaphobia (fear or dislike of the number 13) · fr triskaidékaphobie (fear or dislike of the number 13) · no triskaidekafobi (fear or dislike of the number 13) · ja 十三恐怖症 (fear or dislike of the number 13) · ka ტრისკაიდეკაფობია (fear or dislike of the number 13) · es triscaidecafobia (fear or dislike of the number 13) · de Triskaidekaphobie (fear or dislike of the number 13) · it triscaidecafobia (fear or dislike of the number 13) · fi numeron kolmetoista pelko (fear or dislike of the number 13) · nl triscaidecafobie (fear or dislike of the number 13) · sl triskaidekafobi (fear or dislike of the number 13) · eo dektrifobio (fear or dislike of the number 13) · bg трискайдекафо́бия (fear or dislike of the number 13) · el τρισκαιδεκαφοβία (fear or dislike of the number 13) · nl triskaidekafobie (fear or dislike of the number 13)