WORD FOR THE DAY: ERGOPHOBIA

2000 Most Challenging and Obscure Words | December 6, 2016 | Norman Schur

[Louis Foxwell]

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In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day".

ERGOPHOBIA [ur goh FOh bee uh]

hear it pronounced

noun

Literally, a hatred or terror of work.

In 1905 in the British Medical Journal the word was coined describing "...it often pays better to idle and loaf about than to work, and the consequence is that a new disease has been engendered. which I (W.D. Spanton) have termed ergophobia

"Erg" is a unit of work, Greek ergon plus the familiar suffix phobia.

[Louis Foxwell]

Rules: Everyone must leave a post using the Word for the Day in a sentence.
The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day.

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[Genoa]

Maynard G. Krebs

[Fungi]

Third generation welfare recipients should be considered strongly ergophobic.

[Louis Foxwell]

We must all bear down,
put our nose to the grindstone,
our hand to the wheel,
our pedal to the metal,
our head in the game,
our eye on the ball,
stand at the ready,
and plug away.

WERRK!

OR NOT!

Steve, the seminal ergophobe.

[Verginius Rufus]

Greek ergon, "work," originally had a w- sound at the beginning of the word. It is cognate with the English word "work" (Anglo-Saxon worc or werc). They both go back to a common Indo-European ancestor--a K in English often corresponds to a G in Greek and Latin (cf. "knee" with Latin genu, Greek gony or English "kin" with Latin gens, Greek genos).

[DannyTN]

Not to be confused with Urgophobia, the fear of urges.

Also not to be confused with the line uttered by Fernand Mondego to his wife in the Count of Monte Christo, upon learning that his son wasn’t his, “Well, aren’t you a piece of work.” Because that shows disdain not fear.

[Louis Foxwell]

Maynard G. Krebs, yes, thank you.

THIS is the seminal ergophobe. Sorry, Steve. You were a joy to behold; Maynard was just lazy.

[Louis Foxwell]

Scintillating, excellent etymology. Appreciatively. Would you like a spot?

[Louis Foxwell]

Even less to be confused with.... Never mind. Point taken.

[stormer]

I’m not afraid of work - I’ve fought hard against it my whole life.

[Louis Foxwell]

https://youtu.be/pqzpQPDSr2s
WORK!
Dobey Gillis

[spintreebob]

The opposite would then be someone addicted to work and/or obsessed with working, obsessed with productivity. Now what is the word for that disease? Is it contagious?

[Genoa]

When TV was well worth watching. (Beats work.)

[Fungi]

Scintillating? Really?

[DannyTN]

Yeah, there was work involved in that come back that you are afraid of.

[Twinkie]

I am suffering from ergophobia and I prefer to sit.

[SoothingDave]

If you ping them, they will come.

[tioga]

And here I am....ta da!

[NeoCaveman]

Ergophobia: Dislike of the Islamist dictator of Turkey

or

Ergophobia: It is what I fear

[Robert A Cook PE]

If you ping them, they will come.

But, if they are afraid of logical thinking - but live by emotions - ergophobia egophilia. They live for the latest fleeting moment of pleasure!