xenophobia

Etymology

It is formed from English xeno- + -phobia,^[2][3][4][5] the first part from Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos, “stranger, guest, foreigner”),^[6][7] the second from φόβος (phóbos, “fear”).^[7][8] Etymonline relates the Greek noun to Latin hostis and Proto-Indo-European *ghos-ti- (“stranger, guest, host”),^[6] while Barnhart calls it of uncertain origin.^[7] Merriam-Webster treats the word as New Latin.^[3] The word was rare in the 1890s and became common from 1903, perhaps under the influence of French xénophobie, recorded by 1901;^[6] the OED dates the French word to 1906.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Fear or dislike of foreigners: 1880, in the London Daily News of 12 April, which set it against xenomania in writing of English attitudes to the French: "intelligent xenomania is decidedly preferable to the Xenophobia which is of necessity and always unintelligent".^[6][2] Merriam-Webster gives an earlier first date, 1877,^[3] while Barnhart dated the word only to 1919, with xenophoby in 1909.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Around 1884 the word was also used for what is now called agoraphobia.^[6] The combining form xeno- was used in English from the late 19th century, first in the sciences and later in politics.^[6] The person, a xenophobe, is recorded from 1891 and the adjective xenophobic from 1912 in Barnhart;^[2][7] the variant xenophoby was remodelled after words in -y.^[2][9]

Timeline

• 1880 – fear or dislike of foreigners, in the London Daily News.^[2][6] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1877.^[3]
• c. 1884 – fear of open spaces (obsolete).^[6]
• 1891 – xenophobe, a xenophobic person.^[2]
• 1909 – the variant xenophoby.^[7]
• 1912 – the adjective xenophobic.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. Fear, hatred or dislike of foreigners or strangers, or of foreign customs, cultures and things: The campaign was accused of stirring up xenophobia.^[3][9][2]

Word family

• xenophobic

Related words

• xenophobe
• xenomania
• xenophile
• xeno-
• -phobia
• phobia
• hostile
• guest
• host

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
8. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins