Triskaidekaphobia
triskaidekaphobia . \triss-kye-deh-kuh-FOH-bee-uh\ . (noun): fear of the number 13
Example sentence:
If you think Americans don't suffer from triskaidekaphobia, consider this: More
than half the high-rises along a three-mile stretch of Broadway in Manhattan
have no thirteenth floor.
Did you know?
It's impossible to say just how or when the number thirteen got its bad
reputation. There are a number of theories, of course. Some say it comes from
the Last Supper, because Jesus was betrayed afterwards by one among the thirteen
present. Others trace the source of the superstition much farther back, to
ancient Hindu beliefs or Norse mythology. But if written references are any
indication, the phenomenon isn't all that old (at least, not among English
speakers). Known mention of fear of thirteen in print dates back only to the
late 1800s. By circa 1911, however, it was prevalent enough to merit a name,
which was formed by attaching the Greek word for "thirteen"-"treiskaideka"
(dropping that first "e")-to "phobia" ("fear of").