spiders

[lkurzius]

what does fear of spiders mean?

[Waterwolf]

I assume you mean to ask what the technical word for fear of spiders is, and the answer to that is arachnophobia.

[mikewith]

Unless you mean -- why are people scared of spiders..?

Commonly suggested causes include... memories of having been bitten by a spider as a young child... seeingsomeone else bitten... conditioning from parents who were scared of them and in turn reinforce the fear in their kids... There may also be a degree of cultural conditioning as Europe (in particular) spent centuries believing spiders to be disgusting carriers of disease, pestilence and plague...