Etymograph

English

catoptrophobia

Catoptrophobia comes from Ancient Greek κάτοπτρον ‘mirror’, from καθοράω ‘to behold’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to watch, guard’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-1‘to watch, guard’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὁράω2‘to look with the eyes’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαθοράω3kathoráō‘to behold’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκάτοπτρον4kátoptron‘mirror’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1999catoptrophobia4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ὁράω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek καθοράω
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κάτοπτρον
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English catoptrophobia
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1999, Vctr113062 username, [TK3 fanfic] "Phoenix" Ch. 17, 2/3: “I wondered what was at the root of Shingo's…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ὁράω‘to watch, guard’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὁράωWiktionary, Ancient Greek καθοράω‘to look with the eyes’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαθοράωWiktionary, Ancient Greek κάτοπτρονkathoráō‘to behold’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκάτοπτρονWiktionary, English catoptrophobiakátoptron‘mirror’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1999catoptrophobiaWiktionary, English catoptrophobia. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1999, Vctr113062 username, [TK3 fanfic] "Phoenix" Ch. 17, 2/3: “I wondered what was at the root of Shingo's…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to watch, guard’

wear, guard, ward, regard, con, garage, warn, worm, beware, garrison, verge, ware, weir, optic, reverence, revere, vermin, wry, vermilion, guaranty, prosaic, milliner, varmint, vermicelli, vermeil, vermiculite, 67 more

through Ancient Greek ὁράω ‘to look with the eyes’

panorama, diorama, 5 more

Today it means

noun The fear of mirrors.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “catoptrophobia”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek ὁράω, Ancient Greek καθοράω, Ancient Greek κάτοπτρον. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wer- / catoptrophobia

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