hydrophobia Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a symptom of rabies in humans consisting of an aversion to swallowing liquids
  2. noun a morbid fear of water
  3. noun an acute viral disease of the nervous system of warm-blooded animals (usually transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal); rabies is fatal if the virus reaches the brain
    lyssa; madness; rabies.

WordNet

Hy`dro*pho"bi*a noun
Etymology
L., fr. Gr. "y`dwr water + fear: cf. F. hydrophobie.
Definitions
  1. (Med.) (a) An abnormal dread of water, said to be a symptom of canine madness; hence: (b) The disease caused by a bite form, or inoculation with the saliva of, a rabid creature, of which the chief symptoms are, a sense of dryness and construction in the throat, causing difficulty in deglutition, and a marked heightening of reflex excitability, producing convulsions whenever the patient attempts to swallow, or is disturbed in any way, as by the sight or sound of water; rabies; canine madness. Written also hydrophoby.

Webster 1913