tomophobia

noun

to·​mo·​pho·​bia ˌtō-mə-ˈfō-bē-ə 

: intense fear of surgery or surgical procedures

We present the case of a 69-year-old … man who refused urgently indicated medical intervention because of severe tomophobia.

—Marcus Schmid et al.

tomophobe

ˈtō-mə-ˌfōb 

noun

or tomophobic

ˌtō-mə-ˈfō-bik 

plural tomophobes or tomophobics

tomophobic adjective

tomophobic fears

Word History

Etymology

Greek tomḗ "act of cutting, incision" (nominal derivative from the base of témnein "to cut") + -o- + -phobia — more at tome

First Known Use

circa 1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tomophobia

• rhizobia
• agoraphobia
• claustrophobia
• homophobia
• hydrophobia
• photophobia
• xenophobia
• phobia