hydrophobic

The word hydrophobic is a modern scientific compound built directly from ancient Greek elements. The first element, hydro-, originates from the Proto-Indo-European root wed- meaning "water," which evolved into Greek hydōr. The second element, -phobic, derives from Greek phobos, meaning "fear" or "flight," itself from the PIE root bhegw- meaning "to run." Literally meaning "water-fearing," the term was first used in the 17th century to describe a pathological aversion to water. In the 20th century, chemistry adopted the term to describe the physical property of molecules that repel water, a logical extension from the psychological "fear" to a physicochemical "aversion."

Structure: hydro (water) + phob (fear) + ic (adjective suffix) - hydro: From Greek hydōr (water). A combining form meaning "water" in scientific terms. - phob: From Greek phobos (fear, flight). A combining form meaning "fear of" or "aversion to". - ic: From Latin -icus, Greek -ikos. An adjective-forming suffix meaning "of, pertaining to, or characteristic of".