< b>Fear of spiders: An abnormal and persistent fear of spiders. Sufferers
of this fear experience undue anxiety even though they realize the risk of encountering
a spider and being harmed by it is small or nonexistent. They may avoid going barefoot
and may be especially alert when taking showers or getting into and out of bed.
This phobia was exploited in a 1990 movie called Arachnophobia.
Fear of spiders is termed "Arachnophobia," a word derived from the Greek "arachne"
(spider) and "phobos" (fear). The Greek word was derived from the name "Arachne,"
a maiden in Greek mythology whom the goddess Athena turned into a spider after the
girl, a skilled weaver, challenged Athena to a weaving contest.
"Arachno-" is also part of the term "arachnodactyly" which refers to long spider-like
fingers and toes, a frequent finding in Marfan syndrome, a heritable disorder of
connective tissue.
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