A.Word.A.Day --neophobia

A.Word.A.Day

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Oct 23, 2023

This week’s theme
There’s a word for it

This week’s words
neophobia
apanthropy
stultiloquy
argentocracy
squandermania

Neophobia, 2017

Poster: Mgreen Production / IMDb

Previous week’s theme
Words derived from food

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

Some words, once you come across them, make you wonder: Why didn’t someone think of them earlier? These are words that fill a need. Earlier we needed a phrase or a whole sentence to describe the idea, now we can do that with just one word.

Whatever angst and fears we all may have around here, neophobia isn’t one of them. At least not the fear of new words.

Each week readers think: Wonder what words he has in mind next week. I think: What words should I share with readers next week?

And so it goes. This week I’ve rounded up five words that might make you say: I didn’t know there was a word for it.

neophobia

PRONUNCIATION:

(nee-oh/uh-FOH-bee-uh)

MEANING:

noun: The fear or dislike of the new.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek neo- (new) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1886.

USAGE:

“The experiment included almost 50 people to determine whether they suffered from food neophobia -- a reluctance to eat or try new food.”
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich; Does the Bowl Color Change the Taste of Food? Survey Says Yes; Jerusalem Post (Israel); Nov 29, 2022.

See more usage examples of neophobia in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand. -Emily Kimbrough, author and broadcaster (23 Oct 1899-1989)

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