A.Word.A.Day --nyctophobia

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nyctophobia

PRONUNCIATION:

(nik-tuh-FOH-bee-uh)

MEANING:

noun: An abnormal fear of night or darkness.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek nycto (night) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1892. A related word is nyctalopia (night blindness).

USAGE:

"Even if you have nyctophobia you should be able to comfortably sit in a darkened movie theater. Just think of the movie screen as a huge night light."
Duane Dudek; Be Very Afraid; Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin); Jul 30, 1999

See more usage examples of nyctophobia in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

It ought to be plain / how little you gain / by getting excited / and vexed. / You'll always be late / for the previous train, / and always in time / for the next. -Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996)

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