Definition of Fear of spiders Fear of spiders: An abnormal and
persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers of this fear experience
undue anxiety even though they realize the risk of encountering
a spider and being harmed by it is small or nonexistent. They
may avoid going barefoot and may be especially alert when taking
showers or getting into and out of bed. This phobia was
exploited in a 1990 movie called Arachnophobia. Fear of spiders
is termed "Arachnophobia," a word derived from the Greek
"arachne" (spider) and "phobos" (fear). The Greek word was
derived from the name "Arachne," a maiden in Greek mythology
whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider after the girl, a
skilled weaver, challenged Athena to a weaving contest.
"Arachno-" is also part of the term "arachnodactyly" which
refers to long spider-like fingers and toes, a frequent finding
in Marfan syndrome, a heritable disorder of connective tissue.
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