acrophobe (n.)

"恐高症"，1887年，医学拉丁语，源自希腊语 akros "在末端，最高点"（来自 PIE 词根 *ak- "尖锐，上升（出）到一个点，刺穿"）+ -phobia "恐惧"。由意大利医生安德烈亚·韦尔加（Andrea Verga）在一篇描述该病症的论文中创造，韦尔加本人也患有该病。

In this paper, read somewhat over a year ago at the congress of alienists at Pavia, the author makes confession of his own extreme dread of high places. Though fearless of the contagion of cholera, he has palpitations on mounting a step-ladder, finds it unpleasant to ride on the top of a coach or to look out of even a first-story window, and has never used an elevator. [abstract of Verga's report in American Journal of Psychology, November 1888]

在这篇论文中，大约一年前在帕维亚的精神病学家大会上宣读，作者坦承自己极度害怕高处。尽管不怕霍乱的传染，他在爬梯子时会心悸，坐在马车的顶部或者甚至是一楼的窗户上看外面都很不舒服，从来没有乘坐过电梯。[摘自1888年11月《美国心理学杂志》中对韦尔加报告的摘要]

这个词缀表示“害怕、恐惧或憎恨”的意思，源自法语 -phobe，来自拉丁语 -phobus，源自希腊语 -phobos “害怕”，源自 phobos “恐惧、惊慌、逃跑”， phobein “逃跑、吓唬”（参见 phobia）。