hydrophobia
/ˌhʌɪdrə(ʊ)ˈfəʊbɪə
/noun [mass noun]
1Extreme or irrational fear of water, especially as a symptom of rabies in humans.There's a stage of rabies where people develop hydrophobia, a bizarre and irrational fear of water....
- It is specific for asthma and oppressed breathing, hiccup, whooping cough, spasmodic croup, tetanus, hydrophobia, hysteria paroxysms and hysterical convulsions.
- Salivation and thirst are great but the victim cannot swallow water because of throat muscle spasm hence the misnomer hydrophobia.
1.1Rabies, especially in humans.Ain't that some incurable disease like hydrophobia?...
- Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.
- To protect a healthy person forever from smallpox, hydrophobia, diptheria and so on, the doctor gives him those very diseases.
Origin
Late Middle English: via late Latin from Greek hudrophobia, from hudro- 'water' + phobos 'fear'.