Ombrophobe
/ˌɒm.brəˈfəʊb/noun
A person who has an intense fear or aversion to rain.
Did you know?The word combines Greek ómbros, “rain,” with phóbos, “fear,” the same ancient fear-root behind English words connected with fleeing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰegʷ-
“To flee or take flight; a proposed ancestral root connected with Greek phóbos.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄμβρος (ómbros)
“Rain, especially a heavy shower or rainstorm.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
φόβος (phóbos)
“Fear, panic, or dread; literally associated with flight.”
19th Century
Scientific English
ombro- / -phobe
“Combining forms meaning “rain” and “one who fears,” modeled on Greek vocabulary.”
20th Century
English
ombrophobe
“A person fearful of rain; a rare psychological or descriptive term.”
Explore more surprising origins