An intense, irrational fear of sexual intercourse or coitus.
From Latin 'coitus' (sexual intercourse) combined with Greek 'phobos' (fear). This clinical term emerged in 19th-century psychology to describe a specific anxiety disorder.
This word reveals how psychology borrowed from multiple ancient languages to name modern mental health conditions—Latin for the act itself, Greek for the emotional response. It's one of hundreds of phobias catalogued by medicine, showing how humans can develop fear responses to almost anything.
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