acrophobia

the term acrophobia is a modern scientific compound, constructed directly from ancient greek roots to precisely name a specific psychological condition. the first element, akros, originally described something at the peak or furthest point, a concept extending naturally to great heights. the second element, phobos, personified the greek god of fear and represented a state of terror or aversion. when combined in the late 19th century, these morphemes logically created a term meaning "fear of the highest points," which has been consistently used in psychology and common language to describe an intense, often debilitating dread of being in high places.

Structure: acro (height) + phobia (fear) acro (from greek akros, meaning "highest, topmost, at the extremity"); phobia (from greek phobos, meaning "fear, panic, flight")