I Said to myself that if I saw this word a set number of times I'd finally ask about it to get rid of my confusion. What is my confusion you ask? My confusion is the very word itself, it just doesn't make sense to me in regards to what it's used for. Out of all the words that end with phobia, homophobia has just never made sense to me. Maybe it's because I tend to be a bit pedantic, nonetheless here's why I don't get it: The Greek meaning of homo is "same" while the Latin meaning is "man". The definition of phobia: [i]A persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it[/i]. Given all that, it seems more like homophobia is actually a fear of same or a fear of man, depending on which meaning you're going by. Homo by itself isn't a word meaning homosexual obviously (Albeit it has a common use as an abbreviation for it) it needs to be paired with the sexual part first. So with all that said, why is that word continued to be used as something to describe people who don't like homosexuals? Not liking something=/=Fearing something in the first place. I can't tell if I have it all convoluted or if my logic holds water, so please, someone explain this to me so I can have a better understanding and not be a pretentious fool. Sorry for the Great Wall of Text btw. Edit: I appreciate the informative answers given be Wyld and God (Primarily the latter) but I'm still not satisfied, so I await more answers by the other insightful users.