Arachnophobia

[Abdulmajid]

Speaking to a fool who is scared of spiders and he states he is not arachnophobic he is spider-phobic.

The argument is he is not scared of arachnids but spiders!!!!

My point is one is not scared of hydro, they are scared of water, or if one is scared of small spaces they are not scared of "clausts". But we still happily use these words.

Is he being stupid by using spider-phobic and not stating the generally assumed word arachnophobic.

If that is the case one can use ??????-phobic for anything, no?

Arachnophobia is a fear of spiders. Full-stop in my book.

(and yes I am aware arachnids may include other bugs and eight=legged friends) but the word for a fear of spiders is arachnophobia, surely?

[squarebear]

He is showing is ignorance of the English language. You are quite correct. It is arachnophobia not spider-phobia.

[lumination]

you never use the correct title of the thing you are afraid of, you use its latin name.
so spider in latin is arachnid, so i agree with you, you cant use spider-phobic.

[Quizmonster]

I suppose it is vaguely possible that he finds scorpions and mites - also arachnids - utterly cuddly and delightful, but only spiders a source of terror. In that case, he is presumably entitled to make the distinction he makes.
Arachnid comes from the Greek, arachne = spider, however, so arachnophobia must originally have meant fear of spiders specifically.
One way or t'other, therefore, you could both be right.

[andy-hughes]

I would agree with Quizmonster - arachnids are not all spiders, so therefore, although your friend is splitting hairs to an unusual degree, and appearing rather pedantic as a result, he is technically correct.

[R1Geezer]

Then of course there is Anoraknophobia which is fear of trainspotters.

[beso]

Your friend also suffers from Latinophopia, the fear of using Latin terms.

[Quizmonster]

Ellinikophobia perhaps, Beso, given that arachnophobia is formed from two Greek - not Latin - words. Spider and fear are from good old Anglo-Saxon!