Homophobia

The term "homophobia" is constructed from Greek ?????? (homos), same and ????? (fobos), fear. It has two meanings. The less common or literal meaning is "fear of the same". It is, however, almost exclusively used in the alternate sense of an intense aversion to, or disapproval of, homosexuals and/or homosexuality, bordering on the irrational.

Etymology

The word homophobia is a neologism coined by clinical psychologist George Weinberg in his book Society and the Healthy Homosexual in 1971. It combines the Greek words phobos, meaning "panic fear", with the prefix homo-, which means "the same". The "homo" in homophobia comes from the word homosexual, not to be confused with the Latin homo, meaning man (as in homo sapiens).

Related Topics:
Neologism - George Weinberg - 1971 - Greek - Homosexual - Latin - Homo sapiens

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A precursor was homoerotophobia, coined by Dr Wainwright Churchill in Homosexual Behavior Among Males in 1967.

Related Topics:
Wainwright Churchill - 1967

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