(FOE-buh-trawn) A noun, denoting an electronic or otherwise artificial machine that inspires fear. Derived from the Greek word φοβητρον, meaning “scarecrow, bugbear, terror.” While any such machine that creates fear in onlookers may be called a phobetron, the quintessential phobetron was created intentionally to cause fear. It may accomplish other things – it may in fact be quite functional and productive – but it was designed with the inspiration of fear firmly in mind. Both machines from the Terminator movies were phobetrons in the looser sense.