Knowing one suffix unlocks dozens of words. What does '-phobia' mean in words like claustrophobia and arachnophobia?

The suffix "-phobia" comes from the Greek "phobos" (fear) and attaches to a root to name a specific fear or strong aversion — claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces) and arachnophobia (fear of spiders) both follow this exact pattern, letting you decode dozens of unfamiliar words once you know the suffix.

"Love" is the opposite meaning, actually carried by the related suffix "-philia," and "study" is carried by a different suffix, "-ology" — confusing these three would flip the meaning of any word built with them entirely.

Because Greek and Latin affixes like this recombine constantly, learning a handful of them — phobia, philia, ology, -phile — unlocks the ability to guess the meaning of hundreds of specialized English words on sight.