tonitrophobia

Etymology

From Latin tonitr(us) (“thunder”) + -o- + -phobia.

Why this word is great

TONITROPHOBIA — [Noun] The fear of thunder and lightning; keraunophobia. From the Latin tonitrus ("thunder") + -o- + -phobia ("fear"). Unlike "astraphobia" (which leans toward the blinding terror of lightning) or "brontophobia" (which fixates on thunder's roar alone), tonitrophobia binds both elements into a single, suffocating dread. It is the child burrowing under blankets as the sky splits open, the dog trembling in the bathtub with each distant rumble, the way a sudden crack of thunder can turn a rational adult into a creature of pure instinct—proof that some fears are older than reason, written into the pulse and the spine.

noun

  1. The fear of thunder and lightning; keraunophobia.“The doctor who examined her had explained that tonitrophobia—fear of thunder—could, in extreme cases, cause seizures and, though extremely rare, could result in death.”