-phil-

Look up phil-, -philia, -phile, or -philic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Suffixes with the common part -phil- (-phile, -philia, -philic) are used to specify
some kind of attraction or affinity to something, in particular the love or
obsession with something. They are antonymic to suffixes -phob-.

Phil- (Philo-) may also be used as a prefix with a similar meaning.

Philia (φιλία) as an ancient Greek word for love refers to brotherly love, including
friendship and affection. This contrast to the ancient Greek terms Eros, or
sexual/romantic love, and agapē, or detached, spiritual love. English usage
differs in some cases from the etymological use, and several of these words refer
in English not to brotherly love but to sexual attraction.

The suffix "-phile" (or, in a few cases, -philiac) applies to someone or something
with one of these attractions.

The suffix "-philic" describes the property of being attracted to something.

The less common suffix "-phily" is synonymous with "-philia".

There are five major areas of usage of this suffix: biology, sexology,
chemistry/physics, hobbies, and attitude to specific nations, with occasional
coinage in other areas.

Contents [hide]

1 Biology

2 Chemistry and Physics

3 Hobbies

4 National

5 Other

6 Prefix “phil-”

Biology

acidophilia / acidophile: Preference of acidic conditions

alkaliphilia / alkaliphile: Preference of alkaline environments.

anthophilia / anthophile / anthophilic: Attraction to flowers.

anthrophile / anthrophilic: Attracted to humans (e.g., parasites).

anemophily: a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by wind.

cryophilia / cryophilic / cryophile: Preference for cold environments, climates,
objects and low temperatures; e.g., Protea cryophila (Snow Protea).

dendrophilia / dendrophilic / dendrophile: Preference of trees or other plants.

entomophilous: Adapted for pollination by insects.

extremophilia / extremophile: Preference of living extremal conditions for some

microorganisms.

geophilia / geophilic / Geophile Referring to organisms that prefer the soil.

halophilia / halophile: Attraction/attracted to salt or salt-water.

heliophilia / heliophile: Attraction/attracted to sunlight.

hydrophilia: Attraction to water.

hyperthermophilia / hyperthermophile / hyperthermophilic: Describing organisms

that thrive in extremely hot environments.

limnophilia / limnophile / limnophilic: Preference of ponds or marshes.

lithophilia / lithophile / litophilic: Preference/affinity to stones.

mesophilia / mesophile: Preference of moderate temperatures in

microorganisms.

microaerophilia / microaerophile / Microaerophilic: of organisms that can tolerate

or require environments containing low levels of oxygen.

myrmecophilia: in names of orchids of genus myrmecophila, "love of ants"

nemophilia: Love of the woods/forests, in the name of the genus Nemophilia of

flowers.

necrophilia necrophile: attraction to the dead

nyctophilia: A preference for darkness or night.

ombrophilia / ombrophile: Affinity/affined to large amounts of rainfall.

petrophilia / petrophile / petrophilic: Preference of living or spending time in

rocky areas.

photophilia / photophile / photophilic: Preference of living or spending time in

lighted conditions.

psammophile: A plant loving sandy areas (psammophyte).

psychrophilia / psychrophile: Preference of cold temperatures.

rheophilia: Preference of living in running water.

rhizophilia: Preference of living on roots.

sciaphilia or skiaphilia: Preference of living in shady or dark areas (as opposed to

photophilia).

thermophilia: Love of high temperatures; thriving in high temperatures (e.g.

microbes).

tropophilia / tropophile / tropophilous: Preference of seasonal extremes of

climate.

xerophilia: Love of living or spending time in very dry conditions.

xylophilia: Love of wood.

zoophily: a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by animals.

Chemistry and Physics

chromophilous: Staining easily

electrophile: A substance having an affinity for electrons or negative charge

lipophilic: (of a substance) attracted to lipids, as in cell membranes.

litophilic: (of a substance) In microfluidics, enriching on channel walls instead of

in the middle of the channels. (e.g. air bubbles)

nucleophile: A substance having an affinity for positive charge; antonym of

electrophile.

hydrophilic: (of a substance) having a tendency to interact with or be dissolved

by water and other polar substances

Hobbies

audiophilia: Love of high-fidelity sound reproduction

arctophilia: Love of teddy bears; especially, an interest in collecting teddy bears

bibliophilia: Love of books

cinephilia: Love of cinema and film

glossophilia: Love of languages

horolophilia: Love of timepieces, specifically wristwatches.

icthyophilia: Love of fish

logophilia: Love of words - Logophiles may be interested in word games, such as
crosswords, or Scrabble, and in the extreme, derive enjoyment from reading
things commonly given less notice, such as labels

metrophilia: Love of the metro rail or subway systems

neophilia: Love of the latest novelties and trends

oenophilia: Love of wine

ornithophilia: Love of birds

schediophilia: being attracted to cartoon or animated characters.

taphophilia: Love of graves, cemeteries and funerals

technophilia: Love of technology

turophilia/turophile: Love of cheese / connoisseur of cheese

National

Americophile: rarely used, but Americo- is the combining form according to the
Oxford English Dictionary, which gives Americomania, Americophobia as
examples.

Anglophile: a non-English person who is extremely fond of all things English.

Antonym: Anglophobe

Cymrophile: a fan of Welsh culture (alternative: Cambrophile). Antonym:

Cymrophobe

Francophile, a fan of French culture. Antonym: Francophobe

Europhile: a person who wants to increase cooperation between governments

within the European Union. Antonym: Eurosceptic

Germanophile or teutophile, a fan of German culture. Antonym: Germanophobe

or teutophobia

Hellenophile, a fan of Greek culture

Hibernophile: a lover of Ireland or Irish culture.

Indophile, a fan of India

Islamophile, a fan of Islam and Islamic culture

Japanophile: a non-Japanese person with a strong interest in Japan or Japanese

culture. Antonym: Japanophobe.

Lusophile: a fan of Portugal or Portuguese things. Antonym: Lusophobe

Russophilia: love of Russia and/or Russians. Antonym: Russophobe.

Pakophile, a fan of Pakistan

Semitophile, love of Jews and Judaism. Antonym: Anti-semitism

Sinophile: a non-Chinese person with a strong interest in China or Chinese

culture. Antonym: Sinophobe

Suecophile (alternative spelling: svecophile), a fan of Sweden, Swedish culture or

the Swedish language, cf Svecoman movement of Finland

Turkophile, a fan of Turkish culture. Antonym: Turkophobia

Other

biophilia hypothesis

haemophilia: A disease relating to blood clotting

See List of paraphilias

retrophilia: Love of things of the past

theophilia: Love of a god