agoraphobia

Definition

The fear of wide open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions.

Etymology

From Latin agoraphobia, from Ancient Greek ἀγορά (agorá, “assembly”) + φοβία (phobía, “fear”). By surface analysis, agora + -phobia. Coined by Karl Friedrich Otto Westphal in 1871.

Example Sentences

• "Now, you know that the classical analytical explanation of agoraphobia of the early 1900s was that it represented a street phobia because the patient equated streetwalking with prostitutional activity[…]"
• "For quotations using this term, see Citations:agoraphobia."