A phobia is a very strong fear of one thing — a fear much bigger than the real danger. Someone with a lift phobia may know the lift is safe, but their body still panics: heart racing, must get out.

A phobiaphobia（恐懼症） is是 a very strong fear of one thing對某一件事非常強烈的恐懼 — a fear much bigger than the real danger遠比實際的危險還要大得多的恐懼. Someone with a lift phobia有電梯恐懼症的人 may know the lift is safe可能知道電梯很安全, but their body still panics但身體還是會恐慌: heart racing, must get out心跳加速、一定要出去。

Doctors keep the word fairly tight, for a fear that gets in the way of ordinary life. Everyday speakers stretch it a lot: they say they have a phobia of Monday mornings when they only mean they really dislike them.

Doctors keep the word fairly tight醫生對這個字的用法比較嚴謹, for a fear that gets in the way of ordinary life專指那種會妨礙到日常生活的恐懼. Everyday speakers stretch it a lot日常說話的人常常把它用得很寬鬆: they say they have a phobia of Monday mornings他們會說自己有「星期一早上恐懼症」, when they only mean they really dislike them其實只是很不喜歡星期一早上而已。

In a clinic it sounds formal; in chat it often just means “I cannot stand this.” Though actually, phobia did not begin as a word on its own. For a long time it was only an ending on longer words, a tag meaning “fear of.” People started using phobia by itself around 1790, the same kind of jump that later gave English ism from -ism.

In a clinic it sounds formal在診間裡它聽起來很正式; in chat it often just means "I cannot stand this."在閒聊裡它常常只是「我受不了這個」的意思。 Though actually不過其實, phobia did not begin as a word on its ownphobia一開始並不是一個獨立的字. For a long time很長一段時間裡, it was only an ending on longer words它只是接在較長的字後面的字尾, a tag meaning "fear of."標記著「對……的恐懼」。 People started using phobia by itself around 1790大約在1790年，人們開始單獨使用phobia這個字, the same kind of jump that later gave English ism from -ism這跟後來英文從-ism變出ism是同一種演變方式。