Meanings
- rareuncountableThe fear of ferns.
He had pteridophobia, yes
2014 August 27, Dan Gall, “Trivia 26 Aug 2014”, in alt.thinkquest (Usenet)2 more examples
The name of the bravery medal awarded to messenger pigeons during the Second World War, the fact that Andy Warhol only ever wore green underpants, the name of the personnel on that Tampa Red recording from 1946 or the amazing titbit that Sigmund Freud suffered from pteridophobia, a fear of ferns
2007, Karl MacDermott, The Creative Lower Being, pages 191-192The last time Stanley and I sat on the Spoon’s back porch, he’d photographed the ferns and wondered how anyone with pteridophobia (he informed me that meant a morbid fear of ferns) could live in the Pacific Northwest since ferns thrived in the sodden, dark, and mild climate.
2017, Hosch, Amanda, Mabel Opal Pear and the rules for spying, page 183
Origin
From pterido- (“fern”) + -phobia (“fear”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
pteridophobia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pteridophobia
“pteridophobia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pteridophobia. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pteridophobia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pteridophobia.
Source: pteridophobia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.