You might find some English vocabulary words strange, and others even stranger. However, you don’t need to fear these words. Instead, open your mind to new vocabulary and welcome the chance to learn, especially if the words come to English from another language.

Many English words can be traced back to ancient Greek, and that’s the case with today’s word, xenophobia. You’ll probably recognize the last half of the word, as phobias have become all too common in our modern world; the word phobia comes from the Greek phobos, meaning “to panic, to make run away” – or more generally, “fear.” Words for different fears have become part of our standard vocabulary, like the fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia) or the fear of wide open ones (agorophobia). To determine the meaning of xenophobia, look at the first half of the word; you’ll see it matches the Greek root word xenos, or “stranger.” Xenophobia is a fear of strangers, or of foreigners.

Being afraid of things that are new or different can be very limiting. That’s why we encourage you to explore different areas of vocabulary improvement so that you can be exposed to as many sources of knowledge as possible. For example, if you read a wide range of materials – from science textbooks to cooking magazines, biographies to mystery novels – you’ll come across the most vocabulary words, many of which will be new to you. Take this opportunity to look up those words and add them to your vocabulary, practicing them in conversation and written documents until they’re just as familiar as the words you grew up using. Look for authors from different parts of the English-speaking world, and you’ll get an idea of the different ways English is used.

Being comfortable with your own language helps you to be comfortable in other languages as well. Don’t be afraid to travel to different countries, even if you don’t speak the language. If you’ve been practicing keeping your eyes, ears, and mind open to new English vocabulary words, you’ll find that it’s easier to pick up the basics of other languages as well.

There’s a world of words out there waiting for you – go and explore!