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triskaidekaphobia

noun
tris·​kai·​deka·​pho·​bia | \ ˌtri-ˌskī-ˌde-kə-ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce triskaidekaphobia (audio) , ˌtri-skə- How to pronounce triskaidekaphobia (audio) \

Definition of triskaidekaphobia

: fear of the number 13
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Did You Know?

It's impossible to say just how or when the number thirteen got its bad reputation. There are a number of theories, of course. Some say it comes from the Last Supper because Jesus was betrayed afterwards by one among the thirteen present. Others trace the source of the superstition back to ancient Hindu beliefs or Norse mythology. But if written references are any indication, the phenomenon isn't all that old (at least, not among English speakers). Known mention of fear of thirteen in print dates back only to the late 1800s. By circa 1911, however, it was prevalent enough to merit a name, which was formed by attaching the Greek word for "thirteen" - treiskaideka (dropping that first "e") - to phobia ("fear of").

Examples of triskaidekaphobia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Friday is Friday the 13th, a day for all those suffering from triskaidekaphobia to beware! — CBS News, "Calendar: Week of September 9," 8 Sep. 2019 Is fear of this number, also known as triskaidekaphobia, merely silly superstition, or is it something more? — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "Why Do People Think the Number 13 Is Unlucky? Let's Talk About Triskaidekaphobia," 29 Aug. 2018 The irrational fear of the number 13 is now called triskaidekaphobia. — Lily Puckett, Teen Vogue, "8 Origins, Myths, and Superstitions That Explain Friday the 13th," 12 July 2018 And many other airlines and airports avoid slapping the number 13 on aisles, flights and gates — sometimes out of logistics and other times because of triskaidekaphobia, according to the Wall Street Journal. — Melissa Chan, Time, "Why Friday the 13th Is a Real Nightmare for Some People," 13 Oct. 2017 Investors who suffer from triskaidekaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia might want to tread carefully when trading stocks on Friday the 13th. — Adam Shell, USA TODAY, "Friday the 13th: Stocks perform worse on this frightful day," 13 Oct. 2017 On the top of her spelling list these days: triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13. — Carli Teproff, miamiherald, "The number 13 doesn’t scare this super speller," 28 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'triskaidekaphobia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of triskaidekaphobia

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for triskaidekaphobia

New Latin, from Greek treiskaideka thirteen (from treis three + kai and + deka ten) + New Latin phobia — more at three, ten

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More Definitions for triskaidekaphobia

triskaidekaphobia

noun
tris·​kai·​deka·​pho·​bia | \ ˌtris-ˌkī-ˌdek-ə-ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce triskaidekaphobia (audio) , ˌtris-kə- How to pronounce triskaidekaphobia (audio) \

Medical Definition of triskaidekaphobia

: fear of the number 13

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