an unconscious fear of having one's genitals removed, as a punishment for wishing to have sex with a parent
castration complex in American English
noun
Psychoanalysis
an unconscious fear of losing the genital organs, esp. as punishment for oedipal feelings
Word origin
[1910–15]This word is first recorded in the period 1910–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: blackout, carbon cycle, coverage, flashback, grass roots