Bugbear
/ˈbʌɡˌbɛr/noun
Something or someone that causes fear, annoyance, or worry.
Did you know?The first element bug likely once meant a terrifying goblin or hobgoblin, and in early modern English bugbear was a real folkloric monster before it became a metaphor for fear itself.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
bugge-bear
“A terrifying goblin or scare-creature used to frighten children.”
16th Century
English
bugbear
“A frightening imaginary monster; something that causes fear.”
Middle English
English
bugge
“A frightening creature, goblin, or scare spirit.”
Old English
English
bugga
“An object of fear or something that scares.”
Uncertain Germanic origin
Proto-Germanic
*bug-
“A frightening or swelling threat; the exact original sense is uncertain.”